Sam Darnold Breaks His Silence On Losing QB Battle To Baker Mayfield

Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold isn't happy about being relegated to the bench.

Darnold and Baker Mayfield had been battling for the QB1 role, and the former Browns starter was officially announced Monday as the starting quarterback of the Panthers.

As expected, Darnold isn't happy with how things shook out.

Baker Mayfield beats out Sam Darnold for the QB1 role in Carolina. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

"For me, it sucks, to be quite honest," Darnold told the media Monday afternoon after losing the QB battle to Mayfield.

All signs had been pointing for weeks to Mayfield edging out Darnold for the starting job, and it's now a done deal.

After all, the Panthers didn't trade for Mayfield to glue him to the bench. Matt Rhule is fighting for his job and that means bold choices have to be made.

Rolling the dice with Mayfield is certainly a way to shake things up.

Carolina Panthers name Baker Mayfield starting quarterback over Sam Darnold. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The good news for Darnold is that Baker Mayfield is likely not on a long leash. Again, Rhule is fighting to not be fired.

The amount of errors he's likely willing to tolerate isn't high. If the wheels fall off with Mayfield, Darnold could be thrust right back into the starting role.

Will Carolina Panthers QB Sam Darnold start any games in 2022? (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

He needs to stay ready to go, and there's no doubt he will. In the meantime, he'll be holding a clipboard.