Baker Mayfield reportedly 'showed great maturity' with Panthers

It appears behind-the-scenes issues played little part in the Carolina Panthers waiving quarterback Baker Mayfield. 

The Los Angeles Rams ultimately claimed Mayfield on Tuesday. 

"Carolina believes Baker Mayfield showed great maturity as a teammate while with the team, which bodes well for his new spot with the Rams," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler noted. "The perception of Mayfield as a difficult teammate was not the case there, I'm told. While his on-field performance can be questioned, he accepted his role as a backup in Carolina and didn't make any waves." 

Mayfield suffered a serious injury to his non-throwing left shoulder while starting for the Cleveland Browns in Week 2 last season and never seemed to physically or mentally recover from that initial setback. It was later reported before Cleveland traded with the Houston Texans for Deshaun Watson this past March that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam wanted "an adult" at quarterback. 

Haslam eventually denied saying that, but there's little question Mayfield did himself zero favors with his play as a member of the Panthers. ESPN stats show the 27-year-old is last among qualified quarterbacks with a woeful 18.3 total QBR this season, and his 57.8% completion percentage has him above only the likes of backup Trevor Siemian and a benched Zach Wilson for that category. 

Mayfield missed time this fall with an ankle injury but managed to throw just six touchdown passes with six interceptions in seven games when healthy. The first pick of the 2018 NFL Draft who had been demoted to third on the Carolina depth chart will now look to serve as a temporary replacement for injured Rams starter Matthew Stafford. 

The 3-9 Rams host the 5-7 Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night and then play at the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 19.