Baker Mayfield talks Panthers days with Sam Darnold

SAN FRANCISCO – Believe it or not, it wasn’t that long ago that Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold, the first and third overall picks in the 2018 NFL Draft, were teammates competing for a starting job with the Carolina Panthers. Less than four years later, all three parties have enjoyed major success.

Mayfield starred with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Carolina Panthers made the playoffs with Bryce Young and Darnold will play in the Super Bowl on Sunday.

In an interview with PK Press Club Digital during Super Bowl media week, Mayfield admitted the whole situation was “interesting.” But as someone who’s been through a similar journey to Darnold’s, he can’t help but support him.

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“I’m so happy for Sam, having similar stories and journeys, really happy for him. He fought through it and came out better on the other side. He found a home in Seattle, I hope they do that for him,” Mayfield said.

“In Carolina, not every situation is good. We were there together, different staff, different general manager, all that, and then you hire Dave Canales. I know he’s going to help Bryce Young develop and make him a better player. When you have a belief like that and it starts to change the culture after a few years of bad life, that’s the confidence people have — you don’t want to underestimate that.”

That’s exactly what happened to Mayfield, who never really found his footing with the Cleveland Browns, then went to Carolina before being traded to the Los Angeles Rams to back up Matthew Stafford for less than half a season. Then he had big shoes to fill replacing Tom Brady in Tampa Bay, but it all worked out.

“You just have to be a good fit and understand, as a QB, what system you want to be in, and you have to be able to be on the same page with everyone,” Mayfield said. “Despite all the ups and downs, don’t lose faith in yourself and understand that as long as I can learn something from every opportunity, good things will happen.”

Mayfield is certainly a guy who holds grudges — he had some things to say about former Panthers head coach Steve Wilks earlier in the season, and he took a chance on new Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski, his first NFL coach, last week.

Mayfield took exception to a tweet from an Atlanta-based reporter who wrote about Stefanski’s tenure in Cleveland, particularly the number of quarterbacks he had to work with, because none seemed to stick. The writer said Mayfield “failed” in Cleveland.

“Failure is very much within reach,” Mayfield responded on X, referring to a note from the reporter that said Mayfield and Deshaun Watsonwho remains on the Browns roster, failed in Cleveland. “Still waiting for a text/call from [Stefanski] after being shipped like trash. I look forward to seeing you twice a year, Coach.”

Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns talks with head coach Kevin Stefanski during the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on October 10, 2021 in Inglewood, California. (John McCoy/Getty Images)

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“For me, at any time, whether it’s a good relationship or a bad relationship, if you know the person, you want to win. Because you’ll probably meet them later down the road, and you always want to have the last word. As a competitor, you never want to lose, but you certainly never want to lose to someone you know very well.”

Mayfield said his teammates reached out “pretty quickly” after Stefanski signed with the Bucs’ division rival, “but it’s February. We have a long way to go.”

However, no hard feelings can ever be held against Mayfield’s childhood favorite, Sonic. Mayfield recently partnered with the fast food brand in a closed deal.

“I grew up in Texas, Sonic has been fantastic for me. That’s where we hung out when we were younger, nothing else to do, go to a side parking lot and hang out. And play college football in Oklahoma, and the headquarters is in Oklahoma City, so it’s one of those things and connections everywhere,” Mayfield said. “The big burger, so the Sonic Smasher, it’s hard to beat, to be honest with you. I don’t really need to sell it. People try it and it speaks for itself.

“I can go back to elementary school, my dad would come surprise me and drop Sonic off for lunch. It was the best day in the world. All the kids would look at me pretty jealous.”

This was the first season since pre-Brady that the Bucs missed the playoffs. It came down to watching the Falcons and New Orleans Saints to see if the Bucs or Mayfield’s former Panthers would win the division. When the Panthers won, the season became “really disappointing.”

“You support a team, but you have no control over a game, I can’t do it full time. It’s difficult to do,” he said.

But with a healthy offensive line, another year of Emeka Egbuka and a full season of Chris Godwin and Bucky Irving, Mayfield is sounding a warning.

Baker Mayfield (6) of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers jogs off the field after the first half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans on Monday, September 15, 2025, in Houston, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

“It starts from the beginning. It’s not a pity party or an excuse, but we never had, on paper, our O-linemen certified. They didn’t even take a snap together. So it’s tough. The NFL, it starts and ends with the big guys up front, whether it’s the offensive line, the defensive line, the game is always won in the trenches. Those guys set the tone for the whole game, for the team. So when your five studs aren’t playing together consistently, these guys get into a groove together, and they can change the course of the season,” Mayfield said.

“Hopefully having these guys back and being healthy will make a big difference for us. And for me, just continue to develop our young receivers and be on the same page with the ones we have.