With Jimmy Garoppolo facing a season-ending foot injury, the 49ers' season got flipped upside down. For now, San Francisco has to rely on seventh-round pick Brock Purdy as the starter moving forward.
However, one surprising move on Monday gave the Niners a second potential option. The Panthers opted to release Baker Mayfield, allowing the quarterback to hit waivers for potential quarterback-needy teams.
San Francisco could try and bring Mayfield in, at least to add some talent to the quarterback room. But while the team may have liked Mayfield in the past, there is no guarantee that it chooses to acquire him.
“We’ll discuss it this afternoon,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Always been a fan of his, but I feel pretty good about our players and where we’re at right now.”
Get your seats to San Francisco 49ers games with SI Tickets
When Mayfield was in the 2018 draft and ended up going No. 1, San Francisco had a top 10 pick. However, the team did not need a quarterback since it had just traded for Garoppolo the previous year.
Purdy led the Niners to a win over Miami on Sunday, and it appears Shanahan would like to give him the opportunity to start moving forward. However, with Mayfield available, San Francisco could pivot in an attempt to make a Super Bowl run.
