Sooners in the NFL: Former Oklahoma Quarterbacks See Mixed Results in Week 8

Even with Kyler Murray and the Cardinals on a bye, five different former Sooner quarterbacks started behind center this week in the NFL.

Oct 26, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) directs a play during the first quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Five ex-Oklahoma quarterbacks started for their respective NFL teams on Sunday, and the results varied.

Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts helped their teams win, while Cleveland’s Dillon Gabriel, Chicago’s Caleb Williams and New Orleans’ Spencer Rattler were part of losing efforts.

Here’s how the former Sooner signal callers fared:

Mayfield outduels Rattler

Oct 26, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles and quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) celebrate a win over the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Mayfield and Rattler squared off against one another as the Buccaneers beat the Saints 23-3.

Despite Mayfield coming into Sunday’s contest with MVP-caliber numbers, he didn’t put up flashy stats in Week 8. The quarterback completed 15 of his 24 pass attempts for 152 yards, and he didn’t record a touchdown or an interception.

Mayfield didn’t need to put up video-game numbers against the Saints.

The Buccaneers’ defense forced four turnovers, one of which was a pick six thrown by Rattler.

Rattler was benched midway through the game in favor of rookie Tyler Shough. Before being pulled, Rattler threw for 136 yards on 15-of-21 passing.

Tampa Bay improved to 6-2 with the win, while New Orleans fell to a league-worst 1-7.

Mayfield is playing in his third season with the Buccaneers after previous stints with the Browns, Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams. He was OU’s starting quarterback for three seasons and won the Heisman Trophy as a senior in 2017.

Rattler is playing his second year with the Saints after the franchise drafted him with a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He started 17 games throughout three seasons in Norman before transferring to South Carolina for his final two years of college football.

Williams inconsistent in Bears’ loss

Oct 26, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) looks on after the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The first two years of Williams’ NFL career have been tumultuous, and the sophomore quarterback had another shaky outing on Sunday.

Williams completed 25 of his 38 pass attempts for 285 yards and an interception in the Bears’ 30-16 loss to the struggling Baltimore Ravens.

Chicago took a lead early on but couldn’t maintain it, due to stagnant offensive play. The Bears went scoreless during the second and third quarters, and the Ravens outscored them 16-0 during that stretch.

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The Bears fell to 4-3 with the loss, while the Ravens improved to 2-5.

As a rookie, Williams threw for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. So far in 2025, Williams has registered 1,636 passing yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions.

Williams enrolled at OU in 2021 and was the backup to Rattler as a true freshman. He eventually took the job from Rattler and started seven games at OU. Williams, though, transferred to USC after that season, joining Lincoln Riley, who served as the Sooners’ coach from 2017 to 2021.

Gabriel, Browns struggle in QB’s fourth start

Oct 26, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) throws the ball defended by New England Patriots linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson (44) during the second quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Gabriel — another former OU quarterback that finished his college career elsewhere — struggled in his fourth start for the Browns.

The rookie threw for 156 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions on 21-of-35 passing as Cleveland fell 32-13 to the New England Patriots. His 65.9 passer rating was his lowest of the season in games where he started.

The Browns fell to 2-6 with the loss, and Gabriel is 1-3 as their starting quarterback.

Gabriel was the primary signal caller for the first two seasons of the Brent Venables era. He led the Sooners to a 16-8 record as the starter before transferring to Oregon in 2024 for his final year of eligibility.

Hurts, defending champion Eagles cruise to win

Oct 26, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) reacts after the game against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Eagles won their second game in a row on Sunday, defeating the New York Giants 38-20.

Hurts, the Eagles’ quarterback since 2020, was efficient in the win. He completed 15 of his 20 pass attempts for 179 yards and four touchdowns. Hurts also rushed for 22 yards on four carries.

Philadelphia began the 2025 season 4-0 before dropping back-to-back games against the Giants and Broncos. The Eagles ended their skid last week with a win against the Vikings, and they got revenge on the Giants on Sunday.

Hurts led the Eagles to a win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX last season. Since entering the NFL in 2020, Hurts has compiled 16,165 passing yards, 156 total touchdowns and 40 interceptions.

Hurts came to Oklahoma after playing the first three seasons of his college career at Alabama. In his lone season in Norman, 2019, the dual-threat quarterback led the Sooners their most recent College Football Playoff appearance and finished second in Heisman Trophy voting.