When the Panthers opted to go with P.J. Walker at quarterback after Baker Mayfield recovered from an ankle injury, it was hard not to wonder what that meant for Mayfield’s NFL future.
The first overall pick of the 2018 draft is in the final year of his contract and neither the Panthers’ decision to go with Walker nor Mayfield’s play early in the season created much confidence in Mayfield’s long-term future as a starter in the league. Walker is now out with an ankle injury, however, and Mayfield has another chance to run the offense in Carolina.
On Wednesday, Mayfield said that his focus is only on the 2022 Panthers and not on what will come after this season is over.
“It’s pretty important to win, since we’re still in the division race,” Mayfield said, via Darin Gantt of the team’s website. “That’s where I’m at. Not worried about anything else, it’ll take care of itself as long as I do my job, and we’ll see where it goes.”
The nice thing for Mayfield is that if he plays well enough for the Panthers to win against the Ravens this weekend and in future games, it will help his chances of staying in the mix for starting jobs beyond this season. That’s a big if based on how things played out earlier, but it’s about all Mayfield’s got at this point in the year.