There has been a lot of media speculation that the San Francisco 49ers might be interested in quarterback Baker Mayfield after losing Jimmy Garoppolo for the remainder of the season to a broken foot. The Carolina Panthers released Mayfield, who enters the waiver wire.
San Francisco sits at No. 24 in the waiver wire priority order, so several teams will have a chance to snatch up the quarterback ahead of the Niners, assuming they are even interested.
"We look into everything," head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters via a conference call when asked about Mayfield on Monday. "But that would surprise me right now, and we've got to discuss it this afternoon and stuff. I've always been a fan of his, but I feel real good about our players."
Rookie Brock Purdy, the last overall pick in this year's draft, is the next man up on the quarterback depth chart. He'll get his first NFL start on Sunday against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 49ers are signing veteran quarterback Josh Johnson to serve as Purdy's backup going forward. Of course, that decision was made before news broke that the Panthers were parting ways with Mayfield.
"We'll look into everything, but I feel pretty good with where we're at right now," Shanahan added.
At the end of the conversation, a reporter asked Shanahan if the 49ers' talent level might entice a retired quarterback to return to the football field. The coach had a fantastic response to the question.
"Still waiting on Joe [Montana] to call," Shanahan said in jest. "I keep checking."
What about Steve Young?
"I'm definitely ready for Steve," Shanahan responded. "I think he can still run it, so let's do it."