The Panthers are expected to release Baker Mayfield

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Carolina Panthers are expected to release former starting quarterback Baker Mayfield, who the team traded for in the offseason.

While Mayfield may seem like an upgrade on the surface, he’s been closer to miserable than competent this season for the Panthers in seven starts. He threw for over 200 yards twice, had as many touchdowns as interceptions, and rarely, if ever, made the plays needed for the Panthers' offense.

Against the 49ers, Mayfield completed 55 percent of his passes, threw an interception, had six yards per attempt, and that was his best game of the season, according to Sports Info Solutions.

Using their metric of “total points earned,” Mayfield is in the negatives at -5. That’s worse than Trevor Siemian, John Wolford, Case Keenum, Skylar Thompson, and, most importantly, Brock Purdy.

It would make sense if the 49ers felt like Mayfield was a leader in the locker room and added value, but I’m not sure he does. I’d love to hear Nick Bosa’s thoughts on the matter.

It should also be worth noting that the Niners are near the bottom in the waiver order as they sit at 25th, so Mayfield would have to be passed on by the majority of the league. Mayfield has a price tag of $1.35 million if claimed.

Whenever I watch Baker, I see a quarterback with a subpar arm, limited athleticism, and shotty footwork in the pocket that can kill a play before it starts. Watching Purdy yesterday, he doesn’t have a great arm, but he kept plays alive with his mobility and was shockingly good against the blitz.

It may seem like a prisoner-of-the-moment statement, but Brock>Baker. Then we get into the whole familiarity of the playbook, how he fits in with the locker room, etc. But there is also this quote from Kyle Shanahan.