Ram Turned Rival? Baker Mayfield, NFC West Team Could Be a Match
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Baker Mayfield wasn't exactly the Los Angeles Rams' chosen one. But at least someone probably hope that he'd destroy the San Francisco 49ers, not join them.
As the new league year looms, Mayfield is more or less back where he started: seeking clarity on a career that has gone sideways since initially impressing as the top overall pick of the 2018 draft. Whereas fate took him from Cleveland to Carolina and eventually Los Angeles last year, he's hoping his fate will be a bit more linear this time around.
Reportedly leaving "all options on the table" as negotiations await, Mayfield was linked to the Rams' divisional rivals in a report from Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer. With the 49ers' quarterback situation far from settled ... Trey Lance and Brock Purdy are each dealing with injuries and incumbent starter Jimmy Garoppolo is all but assured to move on ... Mayfield, set to turn 28 in April, stands as a potential discount option. San Francisco general manager John Lynch hinted that his team could search for a veteran addition in his comments at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this week.
"I don’t, for what it’s worth, think that San Francisco’s going to break the bank," Breer says. "But I could absolutely see Lynch and Kyle Shanahan going in on someone like Baker Mayfield, who has experience in that type of offense and a boatload of starting experience. Keep an eye on that one."
By the time Mayfield was thrust into a starting role after injuries to Matthew Stafford and John Wolford, the Rams were devastated by injuries and inconsistency and perhaps too far gone to accurately grade him as a starter. Though the woebegone Rams were 1-3 in Mayfield's four starts, he did make a bit of a statement in his Hollywood debut, leading the team to a nationally-streamed victory over Las Vegas less than 48 hours after he signed his blue-and-yellow contract.
Mayfield's brief, if not memorable, time as the Rams' primary thrower proved that, at the very least, he has a future in the NFL (his 86.4 passer rating in LA was his best since 2020), but it didn't provide a large enough sample size to accurately gauge his starting potential.
Too many established starters (I.e. Garoppolo, Derek Carr, Aaron Rodgers, Ryan Tannehill) are poised to move, which may mean he'll have to enter a "prove-it" type of deal as a backup. Even though Lance has had his injury issues, San Francisco will likely turn to him as its Week 1 starter, as too much is invested to leave him on the bench.
If anything, an already-intriguing offseason sage has another curious chapter ahead, one that could bring one of the Rams' most recurring rivals into the mix.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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