Baker Mayfield to Remain Panthers' Starting QB Amid Sam Darnold's Injury Rehab

Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule told reporters Monday that Baker Mayfield would remain the starting quarterback amidst the team's 1-3 start and that Sam Darnold wasn't ready to return from his high ankle sprain despite being eligible to come off injured reserve this week.

"Baker's always been a winner," he added.

Mayfield, whom the Panthers acquired in an offseason trade, has struggled in his first four games, throwing for 747 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions while completing only 54.7 percent of his passes and taking 11 sacks.

His QBR sits at 15.4, which ranks 32nd in the NFL. His passer rating is 75.0, which is 30th in the league.

"It's frustrating; we're frustrated," Mayfield told reporters after Sunday's 26-16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. "But it's not the end of the world. We can still turn this thing around. We're four games into the year."

Still, it's fair to question if both Mayfield and Rhule are on the hot seat after the poor start to the season.

Mayfield likely doesn't have to worry about being supplanted by Darnold anytime soon, as Darnold is still recovering from a high ankle sprain.

Mayfield also beat out Darnold for the starting gig over the summer—and Darnold struggled last season as the team's starter—so the former Cleveland Browns quarterback likely will be given a long leash.

"Obviously, I'm frustrated with the fact we're 1-3," he told reporters. "I mean, we're four weeks into the year. We can sit here and let you guys pile on us, but we're going to come together as a locker room. That's exactly how we're going to handle it. I don't really care about the fact our fans are booing or what's going on. We're going to figure it out. When we win, it'll still be just us in the locker room. We're going to be just fine."