The Carolina Panthers have made their plans clear for the quarterback position for the remainder of the 2022 season. Sam Darnold is going to be the team’s starter going forward, with P.J. Walker backing him up as Baker Mayfield has been released. Could the San Francisco 49ers be a potential landing spot for him?
Mayfield reportedly asked for his release from the Panthers, who agreed that was the right course of action to take. He is subject to waivers, where things could get interesting since there are several teams around the league who could be willing to take a risk signing him. One team that has been suggested as a potential landing spot for Mayfield is the 49ers.
The 49ers would make a lot of sense as a team to put a waiver claim in for Mayfield. They just lost their starter Jimmy Garoppolo, who entered the season as the backup, to a season-ending foot injury. Garoppolo entered the lineup after Trey Lance broke his ankle in the second game of the season.
In place of Garoppolo, the 49ers turned to Brock Purdy, who was the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Iowa State. He played about as well as you could have hoped for him to, completing 25-of-37 passes for 210 yards to go with two touchdowns and one interception.
Bringing a quarterback in at this point of the season to learn a new playbook would certainly be risky, but the need for a veteran is certainly high in San Francisco. They are going to sign someone at some point and Baker Mayfield could be their choice.
This season has not been a good one for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft as he was benched twice by the Panthers. He was unable to ever get comfortable despite having some good weapons in place with wide receiver D.J. Moore and running back Christian McCaffrey, who is on the 49ers now as well.
The situation in San Francisco is certainly a stronger one as they have elite weapons in Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle along with McCaffrey. The offensive line is very good and the defense is arguably the best in the NFL. This is a situation set up for any quarterback to find success, which may be why the 49ers just opt to stick with Purdy, who has been with the team for the entire season.
