UPDATE: Rams Claim Baker Mayfield Off Waivers

December 06, 2022, 6:18 pm ET

Carolina Panthers QB Baker Mayfield

Photo: USA Today Sports Images

Update:

NFL Week 13 - The Los Angeles Rams have claimed Baker Mayfield off of waivers, inheriting the remaining $1.35 million of his contract.

Original Story:

The Carolina Panthers are set to release quarterback Baker Mayfield, according to a report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Further reporting from Rapoport notes that Mayfield requested his release. He is expected to have a market on waiver wires, namely from eh San Francisco 49ers who just lost Jimmy Garoppolo to a season-ending foot injury.

The Panthers acquired Mayfield from the Cleveland Browns in July for a conditional fifth-round pick. Cutting Mayfield ensures that the conditions will not be met for Carolina's payment to escalate to a fourth-round pick. Since joining Carolina, the former number-one overall pick has both seen the most starts of the three Panthers quarterbacks and posted the worst DVOA of any. Mayfield finished 1-5 as a starter in Carolina, while P.J. Walker and Sam Darnold have combined to go 3-3.

Mayfield's season in Carolina finishes with a career-low 57.8% completion percentage, career-low 187.6 yards per game, and a career-low 2.9% touchdown rate. Mayfield is last in the league in DVOA and second only to Davis Mills for the lowest DYAR in the league among 32 qualified quarterbacks.

Comments

33 comments, Last at 09 Dec 2022, 10:00am

#1 by KnotMe // Dec 05, 2022 - 11:28am

It looks like his contract expires at the end of the year anyway(OTC). An particular reason to cut him?

#3 by BigRichie // Dec 05, 2022 - 11:41am

I doubt he's handling being 3rd string at all well.

#8 by Cale Clinton // Dec 05, 2022 - 12:14pm

Some later reporting from Rapoport notes that he requested to be cut

#12 by KnotMe // Dec 05, 2022 - 1:14pm

That would make sense then. Honestly, a random buy they bring might be worse but if your third string guy is coming in you have bigger issues and it's probably not much of a difference. It makes sense to accommodate player requests if they don't really hurt you.

#2 by zenbitz // Dec 05, 2022 - 11:37am

Jeeze should the Niners pick him up? I mean, he has to be at least as good as Josh Johnson...

#4 by BigRichie // Dec 05, 2022 - 11:42am

Way too late to integrate him into the 49ers' rather unique offense.

And he's probably not all that much better than Josh Johnson.

#10 by IlluminatusUIUC // Dec 05, 2022 - 1:01pm

I am not a big fan of Baker but come on, Josh Johnson is 36 with as many different team jerseys in his closet as career NFL touchdowns.

#13 by bravehoptoad // Dec 05, 2022 - 1:21pm

Not so unique anymore. You an just tot up former Shanahan assistants around the league.

#5 by Chuckc // Dec 05, 2022 - 11:48am

by the time he could be ready to contribute either Purdy has played well enough they don't need him or it's too late and there's no point

#6 by The2015Panthers // Dec 05, 2022 - 11:52am

Disagree. 49ers have banked a lot of wins. What if they're 8-7 or 9-6 in 3 weeks?

#7 by Chuckc // Dec 05, 2022 - 11:56am

Then they'd have the opportunity to play the guy who couldn't beat out Sam Darnold and PJ Walker? No thanks

#9 by serutan // Dec 05, 2022 - 12:49pm

They don't have to play him, just sign him for the rest of the season for depth.

#11 by Spanosian Magn… // Dec 05, 2022 - 1:13pm

If he's better than Purdy, sure. You don't have to outrun the bear, only your buddy (who is Mr. Irrelevant), etc.

#15 by Pottsville Mar… // Dec 05, 2022 - 3:18pm

The current NFC playoff seeding is Eagles, Vikings, 49ers, Bucs, Cowboys, Giants, Commies. The 49ers are a game up on Seattle in the West and currently own the tiebreaker.

Given that the Vikings are QB'd by Kirk Cousins, every team in the NFC at .500 or better (which are all mentioned in the previous paragraph) can credibly claim that they are one Jalen Hurts injury away from the Super Bowl.

#16 by Aaron Brooks G… // Dec 05, 2022 - 3:33pm

It's crazy to think an Eagles team would have a SB shot after their MVP-candidate 2nd-year starter got hurt.

#19 by Pat // Dec 05, 2022 - 4:39pm

oh God we are not going to have Gardner Minshew, Super Bowl MVP

#20 by serutan // Dec 05, 2022 - 5:06pm

Now THERE'S a thought. MWAHAHAHAHAHA

#18 by Cythammer // Dec 05, 2022 - 4:34pm

Mayfield has been okay-ish as a starter in the past. You sign him because there's certainly more evidence he can perform at mediocre level than Purdy.

#14 by ahmadrashad // Dec 05, 2022 - 3:12pm

Josh Johnson 2021: 16.6% DVOA, 157 DYAR on 88 attempts. So maybe not.

#17 by AFCNFCBowl // Dec 05, 2022 - 4:32pm

No. Purdy and Johnson are both better than Bustfield.

#29 by KnotMe // Dec 06, 2022 - 8:14pm

I was actually surprised how bad Mayfield has been this year. Many of the random backup QB thrown out this year have been better.

#21 by morganja // Dec 05, 2022 - 6:14pm

I heard the Cornhuskers are going to pick him up.

#22 by Ben // Dec 05, 2022 - 8:43pm

Do the Colts or Texans put in a claim? Their seasons are over and they can kick the tires for a bit.

#23 by ImNewAroundThe… // Dec 05, 2022 - 9:33pm

Pretty much as expected from this summer.

Now Carolina is picking 5th and are in purgatory. Maybe Baker could've been something. But alas they would've had to pay him IMMEDIATELY if he was (like the bad Darnold trade). There wasn't much of a win scenario (outside of a SB of course) that was realistic.

Maybe Houston can take a flier on him. They're eliminated, throw him out there, sell a few jerseys and who knows? Better than Kyle Allen or Davis Mills.

#24 by Mike B. In Va // Dec 06, 2022 - 2:04pm

I'm not actually certain he's better than Mills?

#25 by KnotMe // Dec 06, 2022 - 5:16pm

It's...difficult to say. He was claimed by the Rams.

#26 by serutan // Dec 06, 2022 - 7:07pm

I guess we'll see how good of a QB whisperer McVay really is.

#31 by herewegobrowni… // Dec 06, 2022 - 10:02pm

Stefanski looks like he has been a terrific QB whisperer as well, though, based on Baker's decline and Brisset's career year, not to mention the Keenum 2017 season. (Frankly, Watson outperformed what I expected this past Sunday also, given the circumstance.)

Not sure how much more juice McVay can squeeze.

Now, many have been critical of how Stefanski doing O playcalling rather than being a "gameday CEO with veto power" affects his ability to focus on the bigger picture of the game...

#27 by ImNewAroundThe… // Dec 06, 2022 - 7:19pm

Nah he is. Mills would love to have the 2018 and 2020 highs.

And Baker has a higher EPA+CPOE composite over the last two (his worst) years.

Maybe they didn't want to risk the tank but they do have a game lead on the Bears so...eh.

#33 by ImNewAroundThe… // Dec 09, 2022 - 10:00am

Yeah Bakers definitely better.

#28 by KnotMe // Dec 06, 2022 - 8:12pm

I'm surprised the Rams would take him, most teams have a late round guy who knows their system and can step in and be only mildly horrific.. (Just go to the 'low number of passes' in the QB DVOA list), We got Mike White, Cooper Rush, Jordan Love, Baliey Zappe, Taysom Hill, Trubisky, Jared Stighman, Purdy, Skyler Thomspton, Winston.,Colt McCoy, P. Walker...and they all had a better DVOA than Mayfields -36.4 and don't cost 1.35Million. Although it's not like they can use the cap for much at this point so it's not a big deal.

I was actually kinda surprise how bad Mayfield has been when I went to look.

Downside of always trading picks I guess.