Baker has been nothing but a
professional since he's been here. A complete Pro.
Tremendous respect for him
as he and I had a conversation.
I talked about, you know, my decision
at the time to go to Cleveland was all based off
him and they're all fence and having the opportunity to be
you know with a tuck productive team that I felt it could move
the ball
and you know this is a you know, a tough business.
And sitting in his seat. You know, it's a tough decision on
my part but it was something that I felt like I was the best
move for the team moving forward.
Steve Works interim coach of the Carolina Panthers
during their bye week.
Didn't play on Sunday. Day after
Baker, Mayfield is released. He asked to be released
and he was, he wasn't playing Sam. Donald taken over as
the starter PJ Walker. Had been the starter until I got injured?
Donald has played pretty well Panthers. Have to make
Some decisions about the future and they had made the decision.
Baker Mayfield was going to be part of their future. So if
someone claims his contractor going to save about 1.3 million
dollars, which isn't a ton of money in today's NFL, but it's
a little something. They get a little something in return.
That's it though.
It's too late to trade
Baker Mayfield. So he gets out
and now he goes through the waiver process Chris and
this was unexpected,
although it's one of those things where
I'm surprised, but they want to sit and think about it, like
it's not really surprising. I'm surprised the Panthers, let him
go.
But yeah,
I'm not surprised he'd won out but he asked and it just goes
to show kids.
There's no harm in asking.
They can say no.
But there's a chance, they'll say yes.
And the Panthers said yes.
Now the problem is Baker, Mayfield is got a sweat it out
until 4:00 Eastern day to see which of the teams out there
puts in the waiver claim and which of those teams has
the highest priority. Priority because where he goes, next,
it's not going to be his choice and you can't continue to say,
will you please release me
until you get released and claimed on waivers by somebody
actually want to play for? Yeah, it's going to be
interesting and there's a little bit. It is. Fascinating,
you know what lead Baker,
Baker Mayfield to be asked to be released. No,
you know, Carolina, I can, you know, understand them. I give
them credit for going way. We know Sam darn, we got PJ
Walker, you know Baker? Yeah, we know you kind of got
screwed. Over by your last team.
There is no future here between us, that's cool of them to let
him go. It is, you know, I will say and people here at NBC will
vouch for me. I just I do find it coincidental to
I do. I was sitting here Sunday night in the back viewing room
during the game kind of yelling going man who's a team that's
got a third quarterback where the third quarterback could
you know weasel his way out of town or get off the team and
then that's not how I remember. And I remembered saying they
should call Caroline and see if they wanted to trade one of
those quarterbacks. And I had to remind you the trade
deadline passed five weeks ago. Thats how I remember? Well
yeah, I might just church wrong Pew. Well, I might have said
that earlier earlier on in the day. You're right. I've I'm not
denying that I didn't
say and I went. Oh done. That was stupid, right? I got this
stupid. I think I even might have said that yesterday but
either way. Yeah,
as I'm my thought was there. Thank you for at least
confirming. My point of going
Waverly. Was there that we're not? I thought of when I saw it
was retired, I said Sims was talking about Carol.
Quarterbacks yesterday, I just thought of who's got that third
guy, that could kind of finagle his way out of town there
and so that's where I found it coincidental, and then, yeah.
Now the waiver thing I think is interesting is, well, you know,
this is an interesting conversation there to be had,
you know, 10, I some of the teams that are not very good.
They're going to be a top of the waiver list here.
Are they going to really want to what's the point of picking
up Baker Mayfield right now, I don't know if they're really
annoying. Right? Yes. Why write this this dawned on me last
night? Yeah, I was talking. To my son or my nephew about this.
I think
we start with my nephew about this and it's like the more you
talk about football, the more ideas, you eventually get in
your head, that's the best way to let your brain because
you're having a conversation. It's like what we do. That's
why I enjoy this
show so much. We talk about stuff that I hadn't thought
about that before.
If you are in the process of mapping out your free agency
planning for next year, and if Baker, Mayfield is on your list
of guys that you may have been interested in any capacity,
why not bring him in for 1.3 million
for Five weeks, you get to be around him. You get to see him
at practice even if he's not going to be ready to play. You
got five weeks with him,
then you have exclusive negotiating rights with him
until free agency begins. If he was a guy you were thinking
about anyway, why wouldn't you bring him in now,
the only wrinkle is you don't want to upset the apple cart
internally, but you're bringing in as a backup. You're bringing
his number three guy, you go to your starter and say he's not
playing this year.
We're just taking a look at him, you know, the old
Rick Spillman, adage. Because remember, when Josh Freeman got
cut by the Bucks in 2013 and the Vikings signed him as like,
why are you say, you got a quarterback, what are you doing
here? But they really didn't at the time but the point was
when you have an opportunity to potentially get a franchise
quarterback, you don't say no, you take advantage of
the opportunity and you evaluate him,
you see what you have and if it works out great, and if it
doesn't, it didn't you move on to the next potential franchise
quarterback. So, I just think if there's teams out there
Chris,
that had their eye on Baker, Mayfield,
this is Relatively cheap opportunity
to lease before you buy. All right, so so there's only two
teams that fit that mold of what you're talking about. That
could even that can even think about that at least, in my
opinion.
You know, I mean hey, the Rams could bring him in but there's
no future. We know they can maybe use them for right now,
right? But after that, you get into the conversation and
the only teams that make sense from what we're discussing here,
are the Houston Texans and the Indianapolis Colts.
Those are the only two
and I think both of them are
kind of like, we know Houston had a chance to get Baker,
Mayfield already so they passed on that. I think both teams are
looking for a quarterback of the future Indianapolis. So
they've really going to go and try to sell to
their fan base. Hey,
we're going to try
another team's trash for the third year in a row, as you
think that's going to work with the cell. The so that's where
I don't know where that team is. I think your thought is right,
Mike, I'm not trying to
even argue that I'm with you,
but I'd that's where I just got down to. I was like, well,
I don't Of there's teams that fit that mold even though what
you're saying is totally logical. If there was more
teams that I think fit that mold. But unfortunately, some
of the teams that are down the list and
up high on the waiver wire.
They already have their future,
kind of in hold, or,
you know, they're just doesn't make sense all the way there.
So that's where it's interesting to Mike. And let me
just add one more thing on to this. So
just with like, you know, the other part of it is,
okay, if you're one of those teams, you want to take
a chance like you're Saying which I'm saying, there's definitely
logic. I'm with you there. But at the same time, too.
I mean, if you're one of these teams that fighting for a spot
with the 49ers, you know which which I was like if we're at
first, like I mean, who I don't know if I'm one of these times
would I want to claim them just so they can't have them
or go down that you know, Road at some point here
and I found that to be interesting to but
and I'll be interested to see where what happens today is
when the waiver wire comes out. Out. So there's three
categories. Yeah,
yeah, as I see it team that would want him.
In order to play them
right now or pretty damn soon. Right
to team that would want him to evaluate him for the future.
Is this a guy? We would want to try to re-sign and let compete
for the starting job or be the starter next year Category 3
team, that is trying
to prevent someone else
from getting Baker Mayfield, right? Three kings good way to
put it back to ya category. Number to
you, Mentioned the cult and this is one of the added
benefits of having this show where we have this platform. We
can talk about whatever
I had forgotten. Remember that
podcast where the dog was like, rolling all over the place.
Yeah, white cat, right? He said Colts at first remember, right?
Until Matt Ryan fell out of the sky into their laps
the cultures where he thought he was going to go. Chris Ballard
is still there
as the general manager of the Cults. And I think
Baker, Mayfield knew that of which he was speaking
at the time. He said the cult so I would watch the Colts.
I mean, they're trying to figure out what they're going
to do. Now, Matt, Ryan,
they've got that 17 million dollar
injury. Guarantee
that was an issue until it wasn't.
And I know Jim irsay is kind of thrown caution to the wind here
because he wants to give Jeff Saturday all the power and all
the options that he has and all the resources available.
I know. It gets the right word, eventually
to try to prove that he can be the head coach.
If he wants Baker Mayfield Jimmer's, he's not going to say no.
So I'm that's more of a combination short term and
maybe next year,
here's one to watch and I had a general manager raise this one
with me last night and I've been trying to get away from it
because there was a point during the offseason where
I was trying to speak this one into
Ants. But who drafted Baker Mayfield, Chris, who drafted
him?
Cleveland
who drafted him in Cleveland
John Dorsey. Where is John Dorsey right now? Oh, John?
Dorsey is I'm choking under this right now. Where the heck
is he right now?
Where is it right? These Detroit Detroit.
That's interesting.
So here are the line now from the line standpoint? We got
some pretty good going. Yeah, that's your dog barks, risking
well right, right?
You're you're
you're welcoming. You're throwing a wrench into your own
Gears potentially, right? If you bring Baker Mayfield in
because then you got Jared Goff thing and what the hell is
going? Exactly right off,
right now. Yeah,
that
but I have at least one prediction from a GM that
the Lions will be a team that puts in a waiver claim and their
their
their middle of the pack, they could get him before the 49ers,
they get him before the Seahawks because you mentioned
the possibility of like a team like the Seahawks, and we're
going to take him. So so the 49ers camp but watch the Lions
and that's what Going to be interesting here. They used to
publicize the full list of waiver claims
now they don't. But
someone will inevitably leak it especially for a big one. Like
this will hear every team that put in the way of her claim.
Obviously we'll know who gets him.
But after that, we'll hear every team that put in a claim
and I wouldn't be surprised if the lions at least consider it
and if they do it, it won't shock me. Yeah. I mean,
they got to dance that fine line, that I guess I would be
surprised too because I feel like they finally have turned
the corner with Jared. God, it's the first time. I'm
in the history of the Jared Goff Lions organization,
marriage here,
and really the first time, I will ever say even with Jared
Goff in general, I don't even care that he was went to
the Super Bowl the Rams where I went,
he actually might be
the option for them next year.
Like he's I think he's playing the best year of his career
and I know statistically, it's not that I get that but Mike,
you've heard me make the point, you know, he's making plays
himself now, he's aggressive. He's throwing the ball in
the Tight Windows
you know back with the Rams day it was everything we can do to
make it easy and so he didn't have to do anything through
a football game.
You know he got backed into a corner here in Detroit had
a fight for his career I think Dan Campbell and them and Mark
Brunell is quarterback coach have pushed him to? Hey no you
got to make this throw. You gotta do this right here
and we're seeing the different guy right now
who's playing really well. So that's where if you're
thinking about him as the future,
That's where to your point that would get dicey and confuse
things. And I would think, you know, knock things off kilter
a little bit. If you bring Baker Mayfield into town because
the one thing with Baker Mayfield,
you know, and I like them and I still think he's got starting
quarterback potential. Here is the fact that when he is one of
those guys, when he comes to town that, hey,
he's, you know, Johnny Progressive commercial guy, he's a star.
So people are always when he gonna come in, when you go
minutes gonna play, he's gonna play bigger. Bigger, bigger,
bigger. Baker Baker and it overtakes your team that way.
And I think that's why
you know, not to change the point but just to throw it in
here as far as the conversation, why the 49ers
probably don't want to get involved in the baker, Mayfield
conversation right now because they're going we got something
good. We don't need the locker room to be overtaken by
one's maker, going to be in, but they going to be in and
having to deal with that. And that's why I don't expect them
to be on the waiver or claiming them on the waivers today.
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