Panthers OC Ben McAdoo Names Sam Darnold Starting QB Before Quickly Backtracking

The NFL offseason is a learning period for everyone and Panthers offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo learned that the hard way on Tuesday. 

McAdoo, who’s entering his first season as Carolina’s OC, met with reporters to discuss the team’s outlook ahead of spring workouts. While fielding questions, he was asked specifically if Sam Darnold was the Panthers starting quarterback as of this moment, to which he responded “Sam is our starting quarterback, yes.”

A short while late, McAdoo walked back his declaration.

"One of the things I've been working on is being better talking to you people," McAdoo said. “So, announcing the starting quarterback here, I just put my foot in my mouth. That wasn’t something I should have said.” 

Darnold began the 2021 season—his first with Carolina—on a high note, powering the Panthers to a 3–0 record. However, his early success was short-lived as he threw seven interceptions over the team’s next four games, all of which resulted in losses. He then missed five more games with a shoulder injury before returning in a limited capacity to close out the year. 

Darnold ended his fourth NFL season throwing more interceptions (13) then touchdowns (nine) and completing just 59.9% of his passes. He finished 4–7 as a starter.

Although there’s been growing speculation that the Panthers will trade for Baker Mayfield or select a quarterback in the upcoming NFL draft, McAdoo did express confidence in Darnold during Tuesday’s press conference. He explained that the former first-round pick was actually a reason that he was drawn to the assistant job in Carolina after spending the 2021 season as a consultant in Dallas.

“Sam was one of the people that intrigued me to the job, to be honest with you,” McAdoo said, per PanthersWire. “I think Sam does have some magic in his game. I think he’s got some athleticism to him. I’m excited to work with Sam, and we’ve been working the last few days here to kinda get up to speed on the offense. And he’s shown flashes of being a good player in this league. And working together, hopefully we can get that to show up more consistently.”

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