Baker Mayfield risks losing his role as a starting NFL QB if he loses an important competition

Baker Mayfield has always been a player with something to prove. That was true in college when he showed up as a walk-on at Oklahoma and proceeded to win a Heisman Trophy. That remained true in the NFL, even though the Cleveland Browns selected him with the No. 1 overall pick.

That trend continues as he heads to the Carolina Panthers following an ugly exit with the team that drafted him. Yet he is not showing up as the savior or even the sure starter. The fact he has to compete once again means this is a make-or-break year for his entire NFL career in 2022.

Baker Mayfield has one final chance to become a regular starter

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It goes without saying that Mayfield has a leg up on the competition in Carolina. The team would not have brought him in to make it challenging for him to start. However, the position still technically must be won.

The competition in place is Sam Darnold and rookie Matt Corral. For now, Corral is likely out of the mix as he sits back and learns the way of the NFL behind two former top picks in Mayfield and Darnold.

As for the latter two, they are both in a similar scenario. Whoever is the backup in 2022 is likely out of change. Darnold, however, is already a negative step ahead of his counterpart because he arrived in Carolina a year ago in a similar situation. He had a chance to resurrect his career and did well with a 3-0 start. But then injuries struck, and the team as a whole limped to the finish line.

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Mayfield now assumes the same role just a year later. Yet his arrival is a bit different given his exit from Cleveland. Darnold left the New York Jets on a more positive note as both sides agreed to get a fresh start. Meanwhile, Mayfield slandered on his way out the door and was involved in a trade saga for months.

That puts him in a much bigger spotlight. The fact that he was also a former No. 1 overall pick means there is more legacy talk surrounding him. Him failing on his second team would bring out talk of him being a bust.

So let's say he wins the job and plays well in 2022. That should mean he is entertaining lucrative multi-year offers next offseason. But if he plays poorly? He will then fall into the Darnold category or emulate the path of someone like Mitchell Trubisky, who missed out on big money reserved for former top quarterback draft picks.

But first, he must focus on winning the job in Carolina. Failing at that task puts all the other conversations to rest as they become obsolete for what was once seen as a promising NFL career.