Baker Mayfield’s free agency isn’t getting as much attention as Derek Carr’s, but he is arguably the third-best veteran available on the open market.
Last year Mayfield began his 2022-23 NFL campaign as a member of the Carolina Panthers. Despite a lot of enthusiasm and hope that he would be able to revive his stock there after the way his Cleveland Browns stint ended, he failed to make an impression.
After being unable to outplay P.J. Walker or Sam Darnold, Mayfield was released.
He then landed with the struggling Los Angeles Rams, where he played well, but not well enough to steal the job from Matthew Stafford who will return next season.
So where does that leave Mayfield? It appears as though there are three legitimate suitors for his services.
As noted by Armando Salguero of Outkick, Mayfield makes a lot of sense for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“Mayfield has also been replaced in Cleveland and released by Carolina, but he has experience with veteran wide outs,” Salguero said.
“He has had moments of clarity, even last year with the Los Angeles Rams when he completed 63.3 percent of his passes and threw 4 TDs and 2 interceptions after arriving from Carolina.
“And then there’s the fact [Todd] Bowles liked Mayfield when the Jets he coached at the time were evaluating quarterbacks for the 2018 draft. The Jets picked Darnold that draft, but Bowles liked Mayfield better, Salguero added.
If not the Bucs, the New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Ravens are two squads to watch.
If Carr opts for the bright lights of the New York Jets over them, the Saints will need a solution at quarterback. Mayfield could serve as the bridge between now and whoever New Orleans decides should be the quarterback of the future.
Baltimore, meanwhile, needs a competent backup for Lamar Jackson. Even if he doesn’t get traded, the 26-year-old has yet to prove he can stay consistently healthy.
The most recent videos of Mayfield passing don’t look great. And things like his DMs scandal certainly leave something to be desired. But that is why he isn’t anyone’s first option.
Tua and his secret wife had themselves a wild birthday bash. Dolphins definitely winning the Super Bowl next year. https://t.co/5GCk6qpgVR
— Game 7 (@game7__) March 2, 2023
As a third or fourth option, though – Mayfield makes a lot of sense.
He likely won’t win you any Super Bowls, but if the rest of the team around him is solid, he might be able to keep them afloat.
Where will Mayfield ultimately end up playing come the 2023-24 NFL seasaon? Time will tell.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
