Baker Mayfield unsure about future, had ‘fun playing football again’ in short Rams stint
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Baker Mayfield doesn’t know where he’ll end up next season.
But after getting a chance to be a starting quarterback again, even for a struggling Los Angeles Rams team, Mayfield is happy headed into the offseason.
“After seeing a place that makes me have fun playing football again, it’s going to be hard to try something new,” Mayfield said after the Rams’ season-ending loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, via ESPN’s Sarah Barshop.
“But obviously it’s going to be a big-time decision.”
Mayfield started the season with the Carolina Panthers, who traded for him in a deal with the Cleveland Browns this past offseason. His time with the Panthers, however, was short-lived. Mayfield was benched for Sam Darnold in Week 12, and was then released in December.
The Rams then claimed Mayfield after several quarterback injuries, most notably Matthew Stafford’s spinal cord contusion that knocked him out for the year.
Mayfield ended up playing five games with the Rams. Though they only won two of those games, Mayfield finished averaging 170 yards per game and completed an average of nearly 63% of his passes. He threw four touchdowns to two interceptions, and led the Rams to a 51-14 rout over the Denver Broncos on Christmas Day — a game that finally led to the firing of Nathaniel Hackett.
Mayfield went 13-of-26 for 147 yards and threw an interception in Sunday’s 19-16 overtime loss in Seattle.
Mayfield is due to be an unrestricted free agent in the coming months. Though the former No. 1 overall pick has had his struggles in recent years, he knows he still has what it takes to play in the league.
Where that is next, however, sounds like it’s going to be up to him — not anybody else.
“I know I’m good enough to be a starting [quarterback],” Mayfield said, via the OC Register’s Gilbert Manzano. “I have no doubt about that. It’s gotta be the best opportunity for me. I’m not gonna go chase a check to go start.”
