Panthers' Robbie Anderson again insists Baker Mayfield post was a 'defense of' Sam Darnold

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Robbie Anderson has been linked with quarterback Baker Mayfield since April when Anderson seemed to make it clear via an Instagram post that he did not want his employer to trade for the 2018 first-overall draft pick. 

Anderson told reporters in June his reaction was more his way of showing support for Carolina signal-caller Sam Darnold than it was a criticism of Mayfield. This past Wednesday, Anderson and Mayfield became new teammates via a transaction that seemingly had been in the works for months, and the receiver took to social media later that day to insist he has no problem with the former starter for the Cleveland Browns. 

According to Jeremy Bergman of the NFL's website, Anderson touched upon his April social-media activities during an edition of the "I Am Athlete" podcast taped before Wednesday's trade.

"What I was doing, that was in defense of Sam, you know what I'm saying?" Anderson explained. "Because I feel like, at the end of the day, me and Sam do have chemistry, but it's like I gotta start all over again, you know what I'm saying? It wasn't no disrespect to him. It was really in defense of who my quarterback is right now."

The "right now" portion of the comments may technically still be accurate. Reports surfaced Wednesday claiming that the Panthers aren't planning on jettisoning Darnold and instead will stage a legitimate quarterback competition this summer.