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.

"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.

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.

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

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David Hookstead is a reporter for OutKick covering a variety of topics with a focus on football and culture. He also hosts of the podcast American Joyride that is accessible on Outkick where he interviews American heroes and outlines their unique stories. Before joining OutKick, Hookstead worked for the Daily Caller for seven years covering similar topics. Hookstead is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.