USA Today Sports
When the Browns traded quarterback Baker Mayfield to the Panthers, one of the first things many people noticed was that the Panthers will host the Browns in the first week of the season.
Mayfield was traded because the Browns acquired Deshaun Watson earlier in the offseason and reported Monday that Watson had been suspended for six games under the NFL’s personal conduct policy. That ruling can be appealed, but for now, it means Watson will lose his chance to start in Carolina to begin the 2022 season.
It also meant Mayfield answered questions about Watson’s sentence when he spoke to reporters on Monday. Mayfield said he’s been paid to play quarterback and “not make decisions about anything other than that” as he tried to focus on his own bid to win the quarterback job for the NFC South club.
“Honestly, it’s not my thing,” Mayfield said, via ESPN.com’s David Newton . “I don’t play against the other quarterback. I know it’s the cliche thing to say, but that’s just the truth.”
Mayfield has been splitting first-team time with Sam Darnold during training camp and it remains to be seen when the Panthers will make a call on which of them will lead the offense against Cleveland in Game 1.