Rams claim QB Baker Mayfield off waivers before 49ers can

For recently waived quarterback Baker Mayfield to make it to the Bay Area, two things have to happen: The Niners have to want him and three-quarters of the league has to pass up on a chance to claim him. Reporting since the Panthers cut Mayfield on Monday is indicating that both are unlikely. Mayfield may have hoped to time his release to get to the Niners, but it seems like he won’t get his wish.  

“That would surprise me right now,” Kyle Shanahan said Monday of the 49ers claiming Mayfield. “We have to discuss more this afternoon. I’ve always been a fan of his, but I feel real good about our players. We’ll look into everything, but I’m pretty good with where we’re at right now.”

Of course, Shanahan could be bluffing. He raved about running back Jeff Wilson hours before shipping him off to Miami at the trade deadline, for example. But there’s enough smoke about other teams claiming the former No. 1 pick that it probably doesn’t matter. Adam Schefter said Tuesday morning that “Mayfield is expected to be claimed on waivers today. … Mayfield is unlikely to land in SF.” NBC Sports Bay Area reported that the Niners would be “surprised if he is not claimed before it gets to them.”

The NFL gives teams priority for waiver claims in reverse order of records; at 8-4, the Niners have the sixth-best record in the league, meaning nearly the entire league would have a crack at claiming Mayfield before them. The deadline to claim Mayfield is 1 p.m. Pacific time on Tuesday.

Mayfield struggled in six starts with the Panthers this year, completing a career-low 57.8% of his passes and performing near the bottom of the league in most statistical categories. With Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo out for the season, seventh-round pick Brock Purdy was solid for the 49ers in Sunday’s win over the Dolphins, going 25-for-37 for 210 yards and two touchdowns.