Report: Baker Mayfield to be cut by Carolina Panthers
The story of Baker Mayfield has taken another wild twist. The former Heisman Trophy winner and first overall pick is being released by the Carolina Panthers, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
“Sources: The #Panthers are expected to release QB Baker Mayfield,” tweeted Rapoport. “He’ll hit waivers when it’s finalized later today.”
Ironically, the news comes one day after Deshaun Watson — the quarterback who essentially replaced Mayfield with the Cleveland Browns — returned to the NFL and made his first start for Mayfield’s former franchise.
Afterwards, the former Oklahoma star was shipped to Carolina, where he hoped to rebuild his NFL career ahead of hitting free agency. Now, he’ll hit the market sooner than anticipated, as it simply never clicked for Mayfield and the Panthers.
More on Baker Mayfield, Carolina Panthers
It was always a long-shot considering the mess that’s become of the Panthers season, but Baker Mayfield had hoped to prove he’s a viable NFL quarterback in Carolina. Instead, it was a mess from beginning to end, and the former Oklahoma star will now be looking for a new home.
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During his lone season with the Panthers, Mayfield passed for 1,313 yards while throwing for six touchdowns as well as six interceptions. It simply never clicked for him inside Ben McAdoo’s offense.
It remains to be seen what the market for Mayfield is, but an interesting team could be the San Francisco 49ers. One of the NFC’s favorites to make the Super Bowl, the 49ers just lost starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a season-ending foot injury. While rookie Brock Purdy filled in well for the 49ers, it’ll be interesting to see how confident the team is in him.
Additionally, Mayfield’s brief teammate — running back Christian McCaffrey — was traded to San Francisco earlier in the season. Perhaps he can get him to put a good word in for the quarterback.
Nevertheless, the rise and fall of Baker Mayfield has been a rollercoaster ride, but it’d be wrong to count out the talented quarterback moving forward.