What's next for Baker Mayfield after being released by Panthers?

When the the Carolina Panthers agreed successful July to nonstop a conditional 2024 draught prime to the Cleveland Browns for Baker Mayfield, the No. 1 wide prime successful the 2018 NFL draft, they were hoping to resurrect his career.

The renaissance didn't happen, and it wasn't adjacent close.

Mayfield went 1-5 arsenic the starter and was connected people for vocation lows successful each large statistical category, including a 16.8 Total QBR that ranked past successful the league. That led to his merchandise connected Monday with the Panthers (4-8) acceptable to spell with Sam Darnold and PJ Walker arsenic their apical quarterbacks the remainder of the season.

Mayfield asked to beryllium waived, but helium apt would person been released soon anyway. The timing could beryllium bully with the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens perchance successful the marketplace for a seasoned backmost aft Sunday, arsenic the 49ers mislaid Jimmy Garoppolo (broken near foot) for the remainder of the play and the Ravens could beryllium without Lamar Jackson (left knee) for a while.

In presumption of the Panthers, each his merchandise did was warrant the conditional prime from Cleveland volition beryllium a fifth-rounder alternatively of a fourth-rounder, since Mayfield didn't play 70% of the snaps this season.

It besides guaranteed they are inactive searching for their franchise quarterback.

ESPN considered each the remaining questions surrounding Mayfield:

Why didn't it enactment retired for Mayfield successful Carolina?

He didn't win. It's that simple.

You could reason the Panthers didn't play to Mayfield's strengths similar the Browns did successful 2011 erstwhile they committed to the moving crippled to instrumentality unit disconnected the quarterback. That benignant of a committedness didn't travel until aft interim manager Steve Wilks replaced caput manager Matt Rhule, who was fired aft a 1-4 commencement with Mayfield.

But adjacent with a committedness to the tally successful Mayfield's lone commencement nether Wilks, the backmost didn't respond. He was 21 of 33 for 196 yards and 2 interceptions successful a 13-3 nonaccomplishment astatine Baltimore. That sealed his fate, if it wasn't sealed earlier then. Management knew astatine that constituent Mayfield wouldn't beryllium a portion of their semipermanent plans. Darnold inactive has a accidental to be, truthful they chopped bait and moved connected from Mayfield. -- David Newton

Why did the Panthers merchandise him now?

The timing was the program each on erstwhile it was wide Walker (ankle) was acceptable to instrumentality from an ankle sprain to backmost up Darnold. That would person made Mayfield inactive the remainder of the season, and it didn't payment either broadside for that to happen. That Mayfield asked for his merchandise didn't truly alteration things, but it did marque him disposable successful lawsuit the 49ers, Ravens oregon different squad needing backmost assistance wants to gamble connected him down the stretch.

The Panthers agreed to wage $4.858 cardinal of Mayfield's $18.8 2022 wage erstwhile they traded for him. Mayfield agreed to instrumentality a $3.5 cardinal chopped connected the remainder of his wage with incentives successful his declaration to gain that back. He ne'er came adjacent to reaching those, and he'll beryllium a escaped cause during the offseason. -- David Newton

Would the injury-depleted San Francisco 49ers see signing Mayfield?

Given that the Niners are already down to their No. 3 backmost -- seventh-round prime Brock Purdy -- aft season-ending injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, they person to see each disposable option. That includes Mayfield. Purdy is going to beryllium the starter moving forward, regardless, but the Niners person to find if Mayfield would beryllium a acceptable arsenic a backup.

San Francisco already added Josh Johnson, astatine slightest successful portion due to the fact that of his familiarity with the discourtesy from his clip with the squad successful 2020. Mayfield played successful a mentation of manager Kyle Shanahan's discourtesy with the Cleveland Browns, but could helium drawback up connected the verbiage capable to beryllium an upgrade implicit Johnson successful the adjacent future?

There is besides locker country acceptable to consider. Mayfield hasn't precisely endeared himself to cardinal Niners, similar antiaircraft extremity Nick Bosa who has immoderate bad humor with Mayfield that dates backmost to college. It's besides not wholly successful the Niners' control, arsenic they beryllium No. 24 successful the waiver bid and different quarterback-needy teams are successful beforehand of them. It's imaginable 1 of those teams could see claiming Mayfield, which could acceptable disconnected a domino effect that makes different backmost disposable whom the Niners mightiness want. -- Nick Wagoner

Is determination a marketplace for Mayfield beyond the 49ers present oregon successful the offseason?

Mayfield's marketplace is not precisely magma hot. His stint successful Carolina was expected to reset his vocation arsenic a springboard into escaped bureau this offseason, but it astir apt wounded his lawsuit owed to accuracy issues (career-low 57.8% completion percent successful 2022).

Teams I've talked to judge his days arsenic an NFL starter could beryllium numbered. But respective teams could beryllium wholly starting implicit astatine quarterback, from the New Orleans Saints, Washington Commanders, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets and New York Giants. There volition beryllium jobs available. But he's debased connected the free-agent pecking order.

Lamar Jackson, Tom Brady, Garoppolo, Geno Smith and Daniel Jones are atop the upcoming free-agent class, followed by coagulated backups specified arsenic Teddy Bridgewater and Jacoby Brissett. Supply and request volition wounded his case. -- Jeremy Fowler

What are the Panthers' backmost options heading into 2023?

The draft.

They're apt looking astatine a top-10 pick, possibly apical five, and this is simply a beardown backmost class.

General manager Scott Fitterer believes the champion mode to guarantee semipermanent stableness astatine quarterback, peculiarly from the fiscal side, is done the draft. And they inactive person past year's third-round prime Matt Corral, who has spent his rookie play connected IR with a Lisfranc wounded successful his near foot.

Having said that, the Panthers could bring backmost Darnold arsenic a span backmost arsenic they make a draught prime and/or Corral, if helium agrees to backup money. They could see Walker successful those plans arsenic well.

But it's wide neither is simply a semipermanent hole for a occupation that has plagued this squad since Newton began having wounded issues midway done the 2018 season. -- David Newton