Should 49ers sign Baker Mayfield to replace Jimmy Garoppolo? (Survey says ‘no’)

Baker Mayfield would join the most loaded roster he’s ever had if he joins the 49ers, but they shouldn’t exactly go after him to replace Jimmy Garoppolo.

Unless the San Francisco 49ers are 100-percent confident in rookie quarterback Brock Purdy leading the way into the playoffs after they lost veteran signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo to a season-ending foot injury in the Week 13 win over the Miami Dolphins, going after another established (and available) veteran is probably on the docket for head coach Kyle Shanahan.

Oh, what do you know? The Carolina Panthers are waiving quarterback Baker Mayfield, as reported by multiple outlets on Monday, including ESPN.

Mayfield to the Niners. Seems perfect, right?

On the surface, perhaps it does. The 27-year-old Mayfield watched his once-promising tenure with the Cleveland Browns come to a crashing halt, and the Panthers certainly haven’t gotten much out of him either after trading for him last offseason.

Over seven games, six of them starts, Mayfield has completed 57.8 percent of his passes for 1,313 yards with six touchdowns against six interceptions, all for a passer rating of 74.4.

Granted, Carolina had nowhere near the talent San Francisco has, and one might assume the 49ers would be giving Mayfield a vast array of weapons, including his former Panthers teammate, running back Christian McCaffrey, to go along with other All-Pros like tight end George Kittle and wide receiver Deebo Samuel.

It might be the most complete and talented roster Mayfield has ever played with. Humbled by two failed tenures on two different teams, perhaps joining the Niners would be different under these circumstances.

Except it shouldn’t be.

No, 49ers shouldn’t sign Baker Mayfield to replace Jimmy Garoppolo

San Francisco is likely to hope Purdy delivers some magic in the wake of Garoppolo’s injury. And if the 49ers defense and supporting offensive cast play as well as they did in Week 13, there’s a good chance of that happening.

Still, that prompts the question: Is Mayfield actually an upgrade over Purdy?

Niners Nation’s Kyle Posey addressed that, and the answer might surprise you:

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.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.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."

Posey also pointed out that the Niners were toward the bottom in waiver-wire order, so Mayfield would have to pass through a number of teams placing claims to have a chance. And while that’s still quite possible, one can fairly wonder if Mayfield would be an upgrade over Purdy.

Read More: Deep dive into 49ers’ final pick of the draft, Brock Purdy

Back to Posey:

"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."

Garoppolo’s injury might have indeed destroyed any chance for San Francisco to win a Super Bowl this season. However, an elite defense and strong supporting cast are still playoff-capable, and Purdy shouldn’t have that high of an expectation anyway.

Meanwhile, steering clear of Mayfield is the right way to go.