The Houston Texans will almost certainly have a new starting quarterback for the 2023 season, but freshly released veteran Baker Mayfield is unlikely to be pursued by the team after head coach Lovie Smith’s comments on Monday. At the team’s press conference before practice, Smith was asked about a potential signing of the Heisman Trophy winner, and he made it clear that he has no interest in making a move for him.
“To be truthful, the only video that I’ve been really studying is ours,” Smith explained. “That’s a hard story a little bit. To answer your question, everybody that’s available we look at. We see if they fit. We’re constantly trying to improve our roster, so if there’s anybody that’s out there, that’s what we do. Don’t know enough about Baker [Mayfield] or anything like that. We’re trying to get better play from the guys we have on our current roster. That’s what we’re really focused on right now.”
Smith’s dismissal of the idea was odd given the dire straits his 1-10-1 Texans are in right now. The quarterback position has been the weakest spot on their roster all season to this point, and it hasn’t been long since Mayfield was considered one of the more promising young prospects at the position.
The first overall pick in 2018, Mayfield has had an underwhelming career in the NFL to this point and entered this season as a pariah after getting the boot from the Cleveland Browns. It wouldn’t be a match made in heaven by any means, but Mayfield’s inclusion on the Texans’ roster through the end of the season could serve as a testbed both for the team and quarterback to maximize their abilities heading into 2023.
A move to sign Mayfield could potentially open the door to his participation in Houston’s rebuild as a capable bridge quarterback who could help their first-overall pick acclimate to life in the NFL without having to undertake the process of reviving the Texans singlehandedly.
