The Panthers released the veteran quarterback on Monday, ending a whirlwind season that didn’t go the way he or they expected. The move appeared to be in the cards when interim coach Steve Wilks brought PJ Walker ahead of him on the depth chart Monday. Sam Darnold will start again this week against the Seahawks. The Panthers traded a conditional 2024 fifth-rounder to the Browns in July for the rights to the former No. 1 overall pick. This pick could have been a fourth-rounder in 2024 if he had played 70 percent of the snaps, but he didn’t. Nor did he play at the level expected after winning the competition for the starting job in training camp. Mayfield started the first five games, but only won one of them (against the Saints in Week 3). His best game was his first, as he threw for a season-high 235 yards with a touchdown and an interception and an 84.6 passer rating against the Browns (26-24 loss). A high ankle sprain against the 49ers opened the door for Walker to start and play well, and at that point, a return to the field seemed unlikely for Mayfield. But when Walker was injured late in the Week 10 game against the Falcons, Mayfield got another shot. He started against Baltimore, but threw two late interceptions and managed just 196 passing yards in a 13-3 loss. Through seven games, he has completed 57.8 percent of his passes for 1,313 yards, with six touchdowns and six interceptions, for a 74.4 rating.
