The Panthers waived the struggling quarterback Baker Mayfield on Monday after the 2018 No 1 draft pick asked for his release.
Baker Mayfield : Waived | Released by Panthers
Mayfield was born on April 14, 1995, in Austin, Texas, to James and Gina Mayfield as the second of two sons.
James, a private equity consultant, encountered financial difficulties during his younger son’s senior year in high school.
These struggles forced the Mayfields to sell their family home and move from rental home to rental home.
Mayfield grew up as a fan of Oklahoma, and he attended a number of their games during his childhood.
His father played football for three years for the University of Houston, though James never lettered.
Baker Mayfield waived
The Panthers waived the struggling quarterback on Monday after the 2018 No 1 draft pick asked for his release.
Mayfield would be subject to waivers and become a free agent if he goes unclaimed.
The move does not come as a surprise, because Sam Darnold replaced Mayfield after his failed second stint as starting quarterback, and the Panthers are happy with their other quarterback, PJ Walker. The move gives Mayfield a chance to land with a team that needs quarterback help.
San Francisco’s Jimmy Garoppolo, Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson all suffered injuries over the weekend. Garoppolo will miss the rest of the season for a Niners team that is expected to mount a serious challenge in the NFC.
Brock Purdy, the last overall pick in this year’s draft, took over from Garoppolo on Sunday and led San Francisco to victory, but the team may want someone with more experience.
Panthers interim coach Steve Wilks said Mayfield asked for his release after the coach informed the quarterbacks that Darnold would be the team’s starter on Sunday at Seattle and Walker would be the backup.
“Baker has been nothing but a professional since he’s been here, a complete pro,” Wilks said. “I have tremendous respect for him.”
Wilks said he made the decision to go with Walker over Mayfield as the backup after “looking at the body of work the last couple of weeks. I felt PJ has been productive when he was in there.”
Wilks said he couldn’t pinpoint why Mayfield didn’t work out in Carolina.
Released by Panthers
Baker Mayfield’s bye week ended with a fresh need for a moving truck.
The Panthers released the quarterback on Monday morning, the team announced. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport first reported the roster news, and Mayfield will now hit the waiver wire.
Mayfield’s release came at the request of the 27-year-old, but there’s plenty to unpack regarding his departure, starting with an underwhelming tenure as Carolina’s starting quarterback.
The Panthers acquired Mayfield in July at what was considered to be the cheap price of a conditional fifth-round pick, giving Carolina its starting QB after a hollow training camp competition with Sam Darnold and P.J. Walker.
Mayfield never got settled with the Panthers, though, struggling to elevate the offense in his first five games of 2022 — a losing stretch that cost head coach Matt Rhule his job — and landing on the bench due to injury in Week 6.
A week later, he was demoted in favor of Walker, spending the next two weeks as the former XFL star’s backup before returning to the field in the second half of a blowout loss to Cincinnati in Week 9.
Mayfield made one more start in Week 11, throwing two interceptions in a loss to Baltimore before Carolina interim head coach Steve Wilks decided to go in a different direction, replacing him with a healthy Darnold for Week 12. Two weeks later, Mayfield was out of a job.
“I wouldn’t say {Mayfield] failed here,” Wilks told reporters on Monday. “It just didn’t work out.”
The Panthers will start Darnold moving forward with Walker as the No. 2 QB.