CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Baker Mayfield isn't responsible for the "Off the Leash" t-shirts that were released to promote his upcoming game against the Cleveland Browns.
But the Carolina Panthers quarterback wishes he was.
"I wish I could say I came up with the t-shirts," Mayfield told reporters on Wednesday, four days ahead of his Week 1 matchup. "I got a good [marketing] team behind me and they put a few little hidden messages and just my history and subliminal stuff in there. They do a good job and I think people back home and people who have just been following me for a long time like it. It's just a fun thing to do."
How subliminal the details of Mayfield's new officially licensed shirt are is open to interpretation.
The vintage concert-style t-shirt -- which is produced by Glory Days Apparel retails for $38 -- depicts a smiling Mayfield in a cowboy hat with his signature No. 6, along with a broken dog collar, which seems like an obvious reference to the Browns' Dawg Pound. Some on social media have also suggested that it could be a dig at the way he was required to play in Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski's offensive system.
Regardless of the hidden -- or not so hidden -- meanings in Mayfield's new apparel line, the limited-time t-shirt has only added fuel to what is shaping up to be a heated Week 1 matchup between the former No. 1 pick and the team he spent the first four seasons of his career with. Last week, the Oklahoma product found himself at the center of controversy after NFL Network analyst Cynthia Frelund shared on a podcast that Mayfield told her "I'm going to f--- them up" when discussing his upcoming showdown with the Browns.
Mayfield has denied making the comment and Frelund has since stated that the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner was merely agreeing with her own sentiments. Nevertheless, even the 27-year-old had to admit that his first game in Carolina coming against his former team adds intrigue to Sunday's Week 1 matchup.
"It's a great storyline. Obviously there's history involved," Mayfield said. "Leading up to this week, there's other games where guys are playing their former teams. It's the excitement leading up to Week 1 that is building that anticipation up. For me, any time you're playing [against] guys you know, it makes it more interesting, more fun. You get to smack talk a little bit with your buddies that you've been with for a little bit. You know how to poke and prod and get the best out of them. I'm looking forward to the opportunity."