Sooners in the NFL: Former Oklahoma QBs Sweep to Week 1 Victories

Former Sooners Baker Mayfield, Jalen Hurts and Kyler Murray all started behind center in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Now that college football is two weeks into the regular season, professional football played its first full slate of games of the 2025 season on Sunday.

Dozens of Sooners made their 2025 NFL regular-season debuts in Friday, Saturday and Sunday’s Week 1 games.

Here are some of the highlights from former OU players during Week 1 of the NFL season:

Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Baker Mayfield, the winner of the 2017 Heisman Trophy, began his third season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, leading the team to a 23-20 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Mayfield didn’t play his best game as a passer, finishing the game with 167 yards and three touchdowns on 17-of-32 passing. Even so, he played well enough to lead his team to a cross-division win.

Mayfield is in his eighth NFL season following his three seasons as the Sooners’ starting quarterback. He was picked No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns and played four seasons with them. Mayfield split time between the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams in 2022 before signing with the Buccaneers during the 2023 offseason.

Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Like Mayfield, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray didn’t play his best football but did enough to help his team win.

The seventh-year NFL quarterback finished Arizona’s 20-13 win over the New Orleans Saints with 163 yards and two touchdowns on 21-of-27 passing. Murray also ran for 38 yards on seven carries.

Murray, who entered the league in 2019, played against Sooner rookie Danny Stutsman, a linebacker for the Saints. Stutsman made one tackle in his NFL debut.

Murray was OU’s starter during the 2018 season, leading OU to a 11-2 record and a College Football Playoff berth. The quarterback has spent his entire NFL career with the Cardinals, earning Pro Bowl honors twice.

Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Jalen Hurts and the defending-champion Philadelphia Eagles opened their season with a 24-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday.

Hurts didn’t put up flashy numbers but played a very efficient game.

The quarterback completed 19 of his 23 pass attempts and didn’t turn the ball over, finishing with 155 passing yards. He also rushed for 62 yards and two touchdowns on 14 touches.

---

READ MORE OKLAHOMA SOONERS

• Sunday Offering: How Oklahoma Made the Most of Hosting Dozens of Recruits for Michigan Weekend
• Oklahoma LB Owen Heinecke’s Journey to Becoming Key Defensive Playmaker
• Poll Report: Oklahoma on the Rise After Saturday's Statement Win

---

Hurts has taken the Eagles to the Super Bowl twice since being drafted by them in 2020. He was a Pro Bowler in the 2022 and 2023 seasons and has compiled 14,819 passing yards throughout his professional career.

Hurts spent his final season of college football at OU after spending his first three years at Alabama. He led Oklahoma to the College Football Playoff semifinals in 2019 and was a First Team All-Big 12 pick that year.

Hollywood Brown, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Hollywood Brown | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

With a depleted wide receiver corps, the Chiefs leaned heavily on former Sooner wideout Hollywood Brown.

Brown led both teams in receiving in the Chiefs’ game against the Chargers on Friday, finishing with 10 receptions for 99 yards. Wide receiver Rashee Rice is suspended for the first six games of the 2025 season and Xavier Worthy suffered an injury early in the first quarter, making Brown the primary target for Patrick Mahomes.

Brown is entering his second season with the Chiefs. He spent the first three years of his career with the Baltimore Ravens before joining the Arizona Cardinals ahead of the 2022 season.

At OU, Brown was a First Team All-American in 2018, helping Oklahoma reach the College Football Playoff.

Billy Bowman Jr., DB, Atlanta Falcons

Oklahoma Sooners defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Rookie defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. shined in his first regular-season NFL game.

Bowman had six tackles in the Atlanta Falcons’ 23-20 loss to the Buccaneers, which was tied for the most on the team. Three of his tackles were solo, and he also got 0.5 sacks for a hit on Mayfield.

The Falcons drafted Bowman in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft after a stellar career at OU. Bowman registered 199 tackles, 11 interceptions, three pick-sixes, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and 14 pass breakups throughout his four years in Norman. He earned First Team All-Big 12 honors in 2023.