Getty Image / Rob Carr
When the Carolina Panthers made the surprising decision to waive Baker Mayfield yesterday, there was one team that most people immediately linked with the former #1 overall pick. That team is the San Francisco 49ers, who lost Jimmy Garoppolo for the season over the weekend.
While that move would seem to make a lot of sense for a contender who turned to Brock Purdy at quarterback on Sunday, it turns out that it could actually be another NFC West team that ends up with Baker Mayfield as their starting quarterback.
Earlier today, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio tweeted that football fans shouldn’t be surprised if Baker ends up with the Los Angeles Rams. NBC Sports’ Albert Breer responded to that tweet, saying that he was told the Rams are looking into claiming Baker.
I was told the Rams are looking into claiming Baker Mayfield. They're fourth in waiver priority—behind only the Texans, Bears and Broncos. https://t.co/MNJgd8p3wT
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) December 6, 2022
While Baker would certainly be an upgrade over John Wolford, it’s difficult to see the actual purpose of this signing. The Rams are dealing with a ton of injuries and aren’t exactly in the playoff picture right now. It doesn’t make much sense for the Rams to go out and rent a player for the next 5 weeks that likely won’t be on the roster next season.
We’ve also already seen Baker Mayfield in a similar scenario and it didn’t play out well. The Rams are extremely thin at wide receiver with Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson both on IR and their blocking this season has left a lot to be desired.
That sounds an awful lot like the situation Baker found himself in with the Browns last season after Odell Beckham Jr left and that ended with the team replacing him during the offseason. The Los Angeles Rams don’t even have a dependable run game for him to turn to like he did in Cleveland.
It may be another chance for Baker to be a starting NFL quarterback, but it’s probably not an experiment that football fans need to see play out.