Panthers Part Ways With Baker Mayfield; 49ers May Reach Out

KEY POINTS

Baker Mayfield severs ties with thePanthers after an up-and-down performance
The 49ers are in no rush to make a play for Baker Mayfield
The Texans could make sense for Mayfield, but the level of interest is questioned

Baker Mayfield will be looking for a new home after the Carolina Panthers released the former Heisman Trophy winner.

After an up-and-down season, Mayfield will be an interesting pickup by other teams.

One NFL team that could be a plausible landing spot is the San Francisco 49ers.

The Niners are thin at quarterback at the moment following the season-ending injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo.

While it appears to make sense, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan remains non-committal.

"We look into everything, but that would surprise me right now," Shanahan said as quoted by ESPN. "We've got to discuss more this afternoon. I've always been a fan of his, but I feel really good about our players. We'll look into everything, but I feel pretty good with where we're at."

Hence, there remains no clarity as to what NFL team would be in play for Mayfield.

After being traded by the Browns to the Panthers, the 27-year-old play-caller struggled to fit in.

Interim head coach Steve Wilks opted to go with PJ Walker, a move that saw the former ahead of Mayfield in the depth chart.

Mayfield started just five games this season for the Panther, but the move only rewarded Carolina with a lone win.

This was their victory over the New Orleans Saints in Week 3.

His best game was during Week 1 where he threw for a season-high 235 yards with a touchdown and an interception and an 84.6 passer rating against his former team—the Cleveland Browns.

The former top pick is set to hit waivers this week.

Aside from the Niners, another team who could be in play for Mayfield is the Houston Texans.

Mayfield holds a $1,349,445 worth of waiver claim according to CBS Sports cap expert Joel Corry.

A move to Texans, like the 49ers, makes sense.

Houston has had a disastrous season, and things have not exactly gone well with Davis Mills at quarterback.

The Texans turned to Kyle Allen to see if they can do better. Sadly, that has not resulted in Houston racking up wins.

However, it should be noted that Houston may hold the top pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.

They are likely to take in a quarterback, another factor that may be in play on the level of interest of the Texans on Baker Mayfield.