Baker Mayfield Joins His Third Team After Release From Carolina Panthers

The bad news for Baker Mayfield is two NFL teams have discarded him within the past year. The good news is he's still in demand as a potential starting quarterback and that's just been proven by the Los Angeles Rams.

The Rams claimed Mayfield on waivers Tuesday afternoon. He will join the club Wednesday after flying into Los Angeles. He is not expected to play for the team this week against the Las Vegas Raiders, a source told OutKick.

Mayfield was released by the Carolina Panthers on Monday. The Panthers acquired Mayfield from the Cleveland Browns in the offseason for a fifth-round draft pick.

Mayfield won, then lost, the Panthers starting job multiple times this season and was headed to being the club's third-stringer when he requested his release.

There were multiple teams in need of quarterback help this season, and perhaps into the future, that could have opted for Mayfield.

The Houston Texans.

Atlanta Falcons.

The San Francisco 49ers, who lost quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for the season following a foot injury on Sunday, also initially made sense as a landing spot.

But, with the exception of Houston, those teams didn't have the opportunity to land the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 draft. The Rams, holding the No. 5 spot on the waiver priority list, took advantage of their spot to get Mayfield.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is on injured reserve, leading the team to need Baker Mayfield. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Stafford Injury Led Rams To Mayfield

The Rams need QB help because starter Matt Stafford is all but done for the season. Stafford is eligible to return from the injured reserve list in Week 17, but with the Rams currently at 3-9, it would be surprising if he played again this season.  

With Stafford out, John Wolford has been the starting quarterback. Wolford started in Week 10 against the Cardinals but Bryce Perkins was thrust into the starting role in Week 12 against the Chiefs. Neither played exceedingly well and obviously not good enough to demand more starts. 

The Rams taking Mayfield serves as an opportunity for the team to get a gauge on how he acts and, yes, plays in a Rams uniform. That could serve into next season with Stafford's future uncertain.

Jaelan Phillips of the Miami Dolphins and Jerome Baker of the Miami Dolphins sack Jimmy Garoppolo of the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Rams Move Might Have Thwarted 49ers

This move also might have kept the rival 49ers from adding Mayfield -- at least per the Rams' thinking. The 49ers held the No. 24 overall spot in the waiver priority list.

The 49ers did not put in a waiver request for Mayfield. But it is hard to know if the club might have been interested in Mayfield had he cleared waivers. San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan was lukewarm Monday about the idea of adding Mayfield.

“We look into everything, but that’d surprise me right now," Shanahan told reporters Monday. "We have to discuss more this afternoon, but I've always been a fan of his, but I feel real good about our players and we'll look into everything, but I feel pretty good with where we're at right now.”

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