49ers & Buccaneers Potential Suitors For Baker Mayfield, Rams Would Also Like To Keep Him

Echoing a report on Sunday from ESPN, Jordan Schultz says the 49ers and Buccaneers are two potential teams who could be interested in signing Rams QB Baker Mayfield. 

He notes a return to Los Angeles isn’t out of the question for Mayfield either. 

Schultz adds a deal in the neighborhood of around $8 million for Mayfield could be in play, which makes sense as that’s the going rate for high-end backups or bridge starters. 

Tampa Bay could offer Mayfield more of a chance to start, as they just have third-year QB Kyle Trask on the roster right now. San Francisco is looking for another layer of insurance for QBs Brock Purdy and Trey Lance, so Mayfield could end up third on the depth chart. He could also start half the season given how things in San Francisco have gone in recent years. 

Mayfield, 27, was drafted with the No. 1 overall pick out of Oklahoma in 2018. He played out the fourth year of a four-year, $32.68 million rookie deal that included a $21.85 million signing bonus. 

The Browns exercised Mayfield’s fifth-year option which would have cost Cleveland $18.858 million fully guaranteed in 2022. However, Cleveland traded Mayfield to Carolina in exchange for a conditional 2024 fourth-round draft pick. 

Cleveland agreed to cover $10.5 million of Mayfield’s salary with the Panthers paying out the rest. However, Carolina cut Mayfield during the season and he was claimed off waivers by the Rams. 

In 2022, Mayfield appeared in seven games for the Panthers and five games for the Rams. He completed 60 percent of his passes for 2,163 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also rushed for 89 yards and a touchdown.

We’ll have more on Mayfield as the news is available.