The success that Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield had in restarting his career in 2023 may affect how NFL organizations see quarterbacks in the future.
On “The Rich Eisen Show” on March 29, host Rich Eisen speculated that Mayfield’s performance in Tampa Bay could fundamentally alter how organizations see quarterbacks who “fail” with the teams who drafted them originally.
“We’re seeing where Baker Mayfield has now come back around [and] the Bucs have now paid him [and] he performed better than the guy who got the’market deal’ in Daniel Jones,” Eisen remarked, citing Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith as another player who “sat for years and now look at him.”
The Cleveland Browns selected Mayfield first overall in the 2018 NFL draft, then he was dealt to the Carolina Panthers for a fifth-round draft pick before the 2022 season. Mayfield was released by the Panthers after less than a season and briefly played for the Los Angeles Rams before joining the Buccaneers as a free agent in 2023.
In his debut season in Tampa Bay, Mayfield threw for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns, leading his team to the NFC South title and his first Pro Bowl appearance.
On March 10, he was granted a three-year contract extension for up to $100 million, with $50 million guaranteed.
Historic QB Struggles from the 2021 NFL Draft
The 2021 NFL draft saw five quarterbacks picked in the first round, including the first three picks. That group might include a quarterback who follows Mayfield’s footsteps.
“Which one of these guys could eventually be getting the opportunity [like Mayfield] or who has the best skill set to potentially do that?” Eisen inquired.
Trevor Lawrence, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ No. 1 overall pick in 2021, is expected to be the only one of the five quarterbacks who remain with the team that picked him in 2024.
The New York Jets have been trying to trade No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson since the end of the 2023 season, but have yet to find a suitor. Before the 2023 season, the San Francisco 49ers traded Trey Lance, the third overall pick, to the Dallas Cowboys in return for a fourth-round pick.
Justin Fields, the Chicago Bears’ No. 11 overall pick, was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a sixth-round pick after the 2023 season. Mac Jones, the New England Patriots’ No. 15 overall choice, was traded to the Jaguars for a sixth-round pick after the 2023 season.
“And now you’ve got (in 2024), the top three spots could be quarterbacks,” Eisen remarked on his broadcast on March 19. “Buyer beware.”
Quarterbacks are projected to go 1-2-3 in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Both the PFF mock draft and ESPN’s Mel Kiper’s most recent mock draft, released on February 28, include three quarterbacks in the first three picks of the 2024 NFL draft.
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USC’s Caleb Williams is ranked first overall in both mocks, followed by LSU’s Jayden Daniels and North Carolina’s Drake Maye to the Washington Commanders at second and the Patriots at third, respectively, with Maye at second in PFF and Daniels at second in Kiper’s mock.
It would be the fourth occasion in NFL history that quarterbacks were picked with the first three picks in the draft, following 2021, 1971, and 1999.
Only one of the nine quarterbacks taken in those three rounds went on to win a Super Bowl, and he was passed over by the team that drafted him. The Boston Patriots drafted Stanford’s Jim Plunkett first overall in 1971, and he went on to win two Super Bowls with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders in 1980 and 1983.
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