Panthers' Sam Darnold 'cool' with Baker Mayfield ahead of QB competition

Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer vowed earlier this month the club will hold an open summer quarterback competition between 2021 Week 1 starter Sam Darnold and 2018 first-overall draft pick Baker Mayfield, who was acquired from the Cleveland Browns shortly after the July 4 holiday. 

Darnold, who may have the upper hand in the upcoming battle if only because he's been with the Panthers since the spring of 2021, spoke with reporters on Tuesday and made it clear he and his new teammate aren't personal rivals. 

"Me and Baker are cool," Darnold explained, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk and Kevin Patra of the league's website. "When things start rolling in training camp it’s going to be fun. We’re going to be able to compete and have fun with it. But at the end of the day, this is a business, and we both take our craft and what we do very seriously. So it’s going to be very serious when that time comes to compete. But off the field and all that stuff, me and Baker are really cool."

According to David Newton of ESPN, Panthers head coach Matt Rhule offered no timetable for when he may name his QB1 between Darnold and Mayfield. Darnold seemed to acknowledge he understands Mayfield arrived at training camp assuming he'll win the starting gig when all is said and done. 

"We're both in our eyes the starting quarterback for this team right now," Darnold added about the two signal-callers atop Carolina's depth chart. "And that's how we're both going to view it. So it's just about going out there and competing, and that will be fun."

It's believed Darnold won't immediately be made available for a trade even if he loses the competition to Mayfield by the final day of August.