Baker Mayfield finally got the fresh start he was looking for after getting traded to the Carolina Panthers during the offseason. The starting job appears to be his to lose, though he'll face competition from the likes of Matt Corral and Sam Darnold. After this season, however, Mayfield will be a free agent, and the Panthers aren't rushing to sign him to a new deal. According to ProFootballTalk, GM Scott Fitterer revealed that the Panthers and Mayfield haven't held any talks over a possible extension.

“Our whole focus was bringing Baker in to compete with Sam [Darnold],” Fitterer said. “We’ll take it up to training camp. That’s as far as we’re going to take it and we’ll let it play out throughout the season. We’ll make decisions based later in the season, whether it’s November or December. At that point, once there’s a track record behind him in this offense and this organization.”

If Mayfield impresses throughout the season, there's a chance the Panthers will look to extend his stay in Carolina. However, their main focus in bringing the former No. 1 overall pick to town was to have him compete with Sam Darnold for the starting role.

Mayfield took a significant pay cut in order to help the Browns deal him to the Panthers. Instead of the $18 million he was initially due to make in 2022, the 27-year-old will earn just $4.5 million in Carolina. Meanwhile, Darnold, who is also in the final year of his rookie contract, will pocket $18.8 million this year.

If Mayfield is hoping to find any semblance of stability with the Panthers, he's going to have to earn it on the field. The first step in doing that will be to outduel Sam Darnold during training camp and win the starting gig.