The Carolina Panthers' quarterback situation between Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold is not expected to be resolved any time soon. Mayfield will get the start in the Panthers' preseason opener against the Washington Commanders but both QBs will get plenty of reps.

Mayfield is setting himself apart from Darnold in one key way. Panthers players told David Newton of ESPN that Mayfield carries himself with some serious intensity and isn't afraid to be vocal and talk trash.

“Every day you just want to go out there and pick him off 12 times just to shut him up,” said cornerback Donte Jackson to ESPN. He stressed that the intensity is a good thing and that it brings the best out of each other. Sam Darnold isn't one to cower away but Baker Mayfield certainly brings more intensity, as other Panthers players have noted.

Related NewsArticle continues below
Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales with QB Bryce Young and a silhouette of an American football player with a big question mark emoji inside. There is also a logo for the Carolina Panthers.
Carolina Panthers 3 best trade targets to round out 2025 roster
Tetairoa McMillan, Jordan Brand, Panthers
Jordan Brand signs Panthers’ Tetairoa McMillan
Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan walks across the stage after being selected eighth overall by the Carolina Panthers during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The draft runs through April 26.
Dave Canales’ ‘smooth’ review of Tetairoa McMillan will get Panthers fans hyped

“Sam is from Southern California, and he's got that laid-back energy. Baker is from Texas and has his rah-rah attitude,” said Panthers center Austin Corbett, who also played with Mayfield in Cleveland in 2018. “That, that's just who he is. He doesn't care what anyone thinks about it.”

Wide receiver Rashard Higgins, who played for the Browns since 2016, has also noticed the difference between the ways that the Panthers' quarterbacks carry themselves. “I don’t really see Sam talking trash,” he said. “Baker, I’ve seen big trash talk, and he’s usually got a lot of F-bombs in there. I don’t know when it’s going to come out, but it’s going to come out.”

The Panthers need every advantage it can get this season. Whichever QB they roll with will likely be below average and their roster as a whole is not very intimidating. Baker Mayfield's intensity could be helpful for Carolina in terms of getting the team to play hard and compete in every game.