Getty Baker Mayfield runs out to the field on December 25, 2022 in Inglewood.
Baker Mayfield is down to his last two regular season games with the Los Angeles Rams — which could also be his last two with the franchise.
While Mayfield has turned his third NFL stop in 2022 into his rejuvenation center, he’s still an unrestricted free agent after the season and questions began to get asked about his future in the “Rams House.”
However, former NFL general manager Randy Mueller recently gave this telling prediction with Heavy that should pique the interest of Ram fans who hope Mayfield stays: He believes Mayfield has found his new permanent NFL settlement.
“I know this, Baker will not want to go to another spot. He’s been three places this year if you consider Cleveland,” Mueller said. “He’s not going to want to go learn another offense with another group of guys — four teams in one year.”
The key for Mayfield will be to continue his resurgent play these next two games against the Chargers and Seattle Seahawks to close out the season — all to look appealing for a new deal and, perhaps, be in the same locker room with a fellow former first overall pick in Matthew Stafford.
“But if Baker can continue to play like this where he’s functional, I think he would acquiesce to a pseudo-type deal that pays him as a backup as long as (Matthew) Stafford is playing, but then re-ups him and pays him as a starter. If you’re the Rams, it might be a really good fit because Stafford needs insurance against his history of injury,” Mueller said.
Mayfield’s People are ‘Ecstatic’ He’s Around Sean McVay, Ex-NFL GM Says
Mueller isn’t just giving a trendy prediction of where Mayfield will go in 2023. The former GM of the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins learned that Mayfield is “ecstatic” about being around head coach Sean McVay, by speaking to people close to the former Oklahoma Sooners QB.
“I know that Baker’s people, and I’ve spoken to them around him, are ecstatic that he is now with Sean McVay,” Mueller revealed. “You’re talking about one of the most innovative minds in the game. One of the guys who I think will go down as — and he’s a young guy still — really one of the best offensive minds of this era.”
McVay’s presence has made a clear difference for Mayfield. Before being claimed by the Rams on December 6, Mayfield tied for the same number of touchdowns and interceptions with six in Carolina. But after the Panthers, his touchdown-to-interception ratio is now 4:1. He’s also improved his completion percentage from both Cleveland (61.6) and Carolina (57.8) to 69.0 in his three games with the Rams. Finally, his touchdown percentage with the Rams has already matched the 4.8% he accomplished with the Browns per Pro Football Reference.
“Two out of the three weeks Baker has played, he’s been pretty special, and (the Rams) have been good. We’ll see how these next couple weeks go, but he may have found his spot,” Mueller said.
He concluded with “If I’m a betting man, I’d say it’s probably 70% chance Baker has found his home right now.”
The Defense Mayfield Has Next
Mayfield has faced four defenses in L.A.: The Las Vegas Raiders, Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos and the Rams defense during practices in Thousand Oaks.
But the next defense on the horizon for Week 17 resembles the latter.
That’s because the Chargers are running the schemes and plays that Brandon Staley called when he led the Rams to a No. 1 ranking in 2020. Which means Mayfield is likely to face the odd fronts and blitz schemes that he’s come across in practices and in Rams team meetings.
However, the Chargers ruled out standout safety and back-to-back Pro Bowler Derwin James for the game due to being in concussion protocol. Also, former Rams nose tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day is dealing with a bad back but was listed as a full participant in practice this week.