NFL Rumors: Are 49ers signing Baker Mayfield? Speculation intensifies around QB

Could Baker Mayfield remain in the NFC West next season? The former number-one overall draft pick will likely sign with a new team this off-season and one possible suitor could be the San Francisco 49ers.

According to NFL reporter Albert Breer, the 49ers could be interested in adding a veteran that they don't want to break the bank on.

Mayfield began his NFL career with the Cleveland Browns in 2018 after being the number-one overall pick at that year's Draft. He led the team to the playoffs in 2020, but was released following the 2021 season.

The quarterback was traded to the Carolina Panthers on July 6, 2022, in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick.

He was released after a 1-5 start with the team and then was picked up by the Los Angeles Rams on December 6. Mayfield finished the season with a 1-3 record in the team's final four games and is expected to sign elsewhere in free agency.

Why the 49ers signing Baker Mayfield would make sense

Baker Mayfield

The 49ers signing Baker Mayfield would make sense for a few reasons. The main one is that the team doesn't know whether Brock Purdy and Trey Lance will be ready to play at the start of the season.

Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 of the NFL 2022-23 campaign and is still recovering from it. Purdy suffered a UCL tear in the NFC Championship game and has had to delay his surgery due to inflammation in his elbow.

As of right now, it's hard to tell who, if either, would be ready to go by Week 1, but their questionable status will require the team to add another quarterback.

Mayfield would come cheap and the team could sign him to a similar deal that they signed Jimmy Garoppolo to before the start of the season.

He would also add competition to the QB room with Purdy and Lance.