Getty Image / Steph Chambers
2022 was a rough year for Baker Mayfield.
He started the year with the expectation that he would continue to be the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns.
Then the Browns traded for Deshaun Watson.
It took months for the Browns to find a team that was interested in making Baker their starter. That team was the Carolina Panthers.
He started 6 games for the Panthers before being benched. He appeared one more time before being cut early in December.
Things finally started to turn around for him from there. He signed with the Los Angeles Rams and started 4 games for them to close out the year.
Now he’s a free agent again and fans are wondering where he could wind for the 2023 season. There are plenty of teams that could be in the market for a starting quarterback this offseason, but he might not end up with any of them.
According to NFL reporter Albert Breer, the San Francisco 49ers could be interested in Baker this offseason.
Why isn't Bryce Young throwing? Can C.J. Stroud bump his stock even more?
.@AlbertBreer on the draft’s likely first-round passers and what the stakes are of their Saturday workouts https://t.co/vBD3J6u7AF
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 4, 2023
Niners GM John Lynch conceded this week that the timing of Brock Purdy’s surgery on his injured right elbow could force the team’s hand on looking for a veteran to throw into the mix. I don’t, for what it’s worth, think that San Francisco’s going to break the bank. But I could absolutely see Lynch and Kyle Shanahan going in on someone like Baker Mayfield, who has experience in that type of offense and a boatload of starting experience. Keep an eye on that one.
Heading to a team where he definitely wouldn’t start would certainly not be the plan for Baker to start the offseason, but there might not be a team looking to make him their starter right now.
For the San Francisco 49ers, he would give them an insurance plan in case Brock Purdy isn’t ready to start the year, but you would have to think that Trey Lance would be the starter at that point if he’s still on the roster.
It will certainly be an interesting offseason for the former number 1 overall pick.