Browns Ex-QB Baker Mayfield Linked to 2 NFC Contenders

Getty Quarterback Baker Mayfield, formerly of the Carolina Panthers, talks with head coach Steve Wilks during a game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on November 20, 2022 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Baker Mayfield’s second chance came and went in less than a season with the Carolina Panthers, though it appears the third shot may prove the charm for the former Cleveland Browns quarterback.

Carolina waived Mayfield on Monday morning, December 5, one day after San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was lost for the season due to a broken foot. Backup QB Brock Purdy stepped in for Garoppolo and helped hold off a surging Miami Dolphins squad. However, the seventh-round rookie out of Iowa State who was literally the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft seems like a long shot to be the long-term answer for a team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations.

One player who might not be such a long shot is Mayfield, only a couple of years removed from a playoff victory with the Browns. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network spoke Monday morning about the possibility that Mayfield and the Niners may soon link up.

“Actually, it could make sense for all parties, [including] the Carolina Panthers,” Rapoport said. “If Baker Mayfield is claimed by any team, perhaps the San Francisco 49ers, it would save [the Panthers] about $1.5 million in salary. It’s not much, but at least it is something. It also locks in the conditional pick [the Panthers owe the Browns] as a fifth-rounder not a fourth-rounder — also good news for Carolina.”

Mayfield Maneuvering For Shot With San Francisco 49ers

GettyQuarterback Jimmy Garoppolo of the San Francisco 49ers struggles to get up after being sacked during the first quarter of a game against the Miami Dolphins at Levi’s Stadium on December 4, 2022 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Rapoport reported further that Mayfield approached Panthers head coach Steve Wilks and general manager Scott Fitterer to facilitate his release — an indication that the quarterback sees an opportunity with the Niners and is trying to maneuver his way to San Francisco.

“For Baker Mayfield to come to Carolina and say, ‘Now is a good time to waive me,’ you know that he had his eyes on the San Francisco 49ers,” Rapoport continued. “They have a need at quarterback. Even if it’s just to bring him on as a backup and then we’ll see. It would potentially make sense for them, even though they did just sign Josh Johnson from the [Denver] Broncos‘ practice squad. It does seem like these things are interrelated.”

Tom Pelissero, Rapoport’s counterpart at NFL Network, was also in on the Mayfield discussion Monday morning.

“This was something that, really my understanding is, has been on the minds of the people involved for weeks,” Pelissero reported. “It is a mutual parting of the ways for Mayfield, and perhaps there is that landing spot in San Francisco.”

Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams Also in Play For Baker Mayfield

GettyQuarterback Baker Mayfield, formerly of the Carolina Panthers, walks off the field following the team’s 26-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns at Bank of America Stadium on September 11, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

While Mayfield may want a shot with the 49ers, that doesn’t mean he’s going to get it. His release in Carolina makes San Francisco a possibility, but it’s just the first domino of several that must fall in order for Baker to end up in the Bay.

“It’s certainly possible that Baker Mayfield could end up clearing waivers, which would then give him the opportunity to pick his spot,” Pelissero said. “The 49ers, though, sit 24th in the waiver priority orders … so a lot of teams would have to pass on Baker Mayfield before the 49ers would even get the opportunity to claim him, and that includes some of the teams in the division and elsewhere fighting for playoff spots in the NFC.”

One such team is the Los Angeles Rams. The defending Super Bowl champions are finished for the season after injuries knocked out quarterback Matthew Stafford and All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp. The Rams have no use for Mayfield this year other than to make it harder for one of their chief rivals to succeed, though he would arguably compete for L.A.’s second-string job in 2023 if the team brought him in and the necessary relationships clicked.

The Seattle Seahawks do have postseason incentives and are currently competing with the Niners for the NFC West Division crown. Adding Mayfield behind Geno Smith affords San Francisco one less option at quarterback with starting experience, which may well be worth the $1.35 million the Seahawks will have to spend to keep Mayfield clear of the Niners’ huddle.

Then there are other franchises, such as the Houston Texans, that may consider a flier on a player like Mayfield simply because they are so bereft at the position. Mayfield could theoretically step in immediately as the best quarterback on the Texans roster, eventually serving as a bridge next season to a long-term starter. A player with Mayfield’s talent and track record also remains long shot to get another chance as a franchise quarterback somewhere down the line, particularly in a relatively weak division like the AFC South.