Getty Brock Purdy and Tua Tagovailoa after the 49ers' win on December 4, 2022.
The San Francisco 49ers have found themselves running into a much different “who can replace Jimmy Garoppolo” scenario.
The Niners have gone from seeking to trade Garoppolo to now needing to find a fill-in for him after the devastating broken foot injury he suffered on Sunday, December 4 in the 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins.
Brock Purdy handled the reins from there and guided the 49ers to the home victory against a previous 8-3 team. While the 49ers added Josh Johnson from the Denver Broncos’ practice squad immediately more than an hour after Garoppolo’s season-ending ailment, there’s a new signal-caller available as of Monday morning, December 5 who is already being mentioned as a possibility to the 49ers — a former $32 million first overall pick at that: Baker Mayfield.
What Others are Saying About the Mayfield Possibility
Mayfield officially became available after the Carolina Panthers decided to waive the former first round pick of the 2018 NFL Draft per NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport.
Sources: The #Panthers are expected to release QB Baker Mayfield. He’ll hit waivers when it’s finalized later today.
Mayfield’s Panthers experiment ends in disappointment. He finishes with the same number of touchdowns and interceptions at 6 while going 1-5 as a starter. He eventually lost his job to P.J. Walker and then later on, original QB1 for the Panthers Sam Darnold. Mayfield also delivered a career low completion percentage of 57.8 per Pro Football Reference.
It’s a continuous fall for the former Heisman Trophy winner — who was once given a four-year, $32,682,980 deal with the Cleveland Browns.
The moment the word got out on Mayfield’s availability, ESPN NFL analyst Robert Griffin III posted this succinct question:
Radio personality Ross Tucker also chimed in.
@RapSheet Baker to the Niners???
Even Rapoport himself eaves dropped the 49ers’ name as a possibility.
From NFL Now: The #Panthers are waiving QB Baker Mayfield, so let’s take a look at where he lands…
Rapoport’s NFL Network colleague Nick Shook also wrote about Mayfield being linked to the Niners.
“Intrigue remains in the days ahead for Mayfield, who could move to an NFC West team in need. San Francisco lost starter Jimmy Garoppolo to a season-ending foot injury on Sunday and has only rookie Brock Purdy left to handle the quarterback duties moving forward. Although Purdy led the 49ers to a win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, it’s certainly not unrealistic to expect 49ers general manager John Lynch to attempt to claim Mayfield via waivers,” Shook wrote.
However, NBC Sports Bay Area columnist Matt Maiocco isn’t convinced that Mayfield would come in and snatch Purdy’s new No. 1 status.
“At this stage, nobody is taking Purdy’s job,” Maiocco wrote. “He beat out Nate Sudfeld for a roster spot in training camp, and the organization believes he is a good fit for the 49ers’ offensive approach.”
However, Maiocco added: “Still, there is really no good reason for the 49ers to close the door on the possibility of bringing in Mayfield to see if he has what it takes to serve as an insurance policy.”
49ers All-Pro Reacts to QB Change
As numerous fans of the 49ers said online, Sunday’s win was a “Purdy one.”
But one all-pro on the 49ers gave the last overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft his vote of confidence: Fred Warner.
“He doesn’t have to do too much,” Warner said after the Dolphins win. “He has so many weapons on that side of the ball to just get the ball to, and his job is just to protect the football. We have a really good offense. He is in the best position possible.”
Warner added how Purdy does come with the “it” factor.
Fred Warner says Brock Purdy has the “it” factor 👀
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49ers Already Called a Possibility for Ex-$32 Million Quarterback