Baker Mayfield injected life into a wholly disappointing season for the Los Angeles Rams in Week 14, and it appears they’ll do the same for his career in Week 15.
Rams head coach Sean McVay told reporters Tuesday that John Wolford will not play against the Green Bay Packers due to a neck injury that held him to just one series against the Las Vegas Raiders, putting Mayfield in line to make his first start with Los Angeles.
Of course, it won’t be the first time Mayfield has quarterbacked the Rams.
Just two days after being claimed by Los Angeles off waivers from the Carolina Panthers, Mayfield made his Rams debut when replacing Wolford in the first quarter of their matchup with the Raiders. What ensued was an improbable comeback, where Mayfield led the Rams on a 98-yard touchdown drive in the final two minutes to knock off the Raiders. As one would expect, that was enough to earn the 27-year-old a start for the struggling Rams.
The 2022 season is essentially over for Los Angeles, with wide receiver Cooper Kupp and quarterback Matthew Stafford done for the season. All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald remains week-to-week, per McVay, but is unlikely to return to a team that is 4-9 and has been all but eliminated from postseason contention.
So what does it matter if Mayfield makes a few starts for Los Angeles? Well, it represents an opportunity for the 2018 No. 1 overall pick to audition for his next job.
Mayfield is scheduled to become a free agent next season, and after disappointing stints with the Cleveland Browns and Panthers, this could be his last shot to earn an opportunity at starting elsewhere. Will he head to a contender in free agency? Probably not, but there will be plenty of middling teams looking for a veteran to lead the way in 2023.
The Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts are all teams who represent the different kind of situation that could be appealing to Mayfield. Houston will likely have the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft and could want a veteran to start while their rookie QB learns the ropes. New Orleans is in draft purgatory, and could be looking for a placeholder before they find a long-term answer. Indianapolis could look to catch lightning in a bottle once again, like they have in the past with Phillip Rivers and Matt Ryan.
No matter how things go for the Rams, who are 7.5-point underdogs to the Packers on Sunday, the play of Mayfield will be something to look out for.
