NFL Analyst Lists Career Backup Ahead of Baker Mayfield in Free Agent Rankings
Being written off is nothing new to Baker Mayfield.
After the former Heisman trophy winner was drafted first overall in 2018 by the Cleveland Browns, expectations were sky high. And although his career got off to a strong start — which included leading his team to the 2020 Divisional Round playoffs — playing through a serious shoulder injury proved to be costly. Not just for the Browns' success, but for his status as the team's franchise quarterback as well.
In 2022, the Browns decided to move on from Mayfield and traded him to the Carolina Panthers. Unfortunately, due to a lack of stability within the organization, and a less-than-impressive roster around him, Baker was unable to re-establish himself. Although he was cut midseason, he did manage to show some resilience in his performance as a spot starter for the injured Rams down the stretch.
As a free agent this past offseason, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Mayfield to become their starter for their first season post-Tom Brady. It was a low-risk, high-reward move, and there's no denying that it paid off in a big way for both the Buccaneers and Baker.
Expected by the majority of national media to be a bottom-three team in the league last season, the Buccaneers exceeded all expectations en route to an appearance in the NFC divisional round playoffs. The same goes for Baker, who put together the best season of his career when he needed it most.
When it was all said and done, Mayfield had earned his first Pro Bowl appearance, he was named as a finalist for the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year Award, and most importantly, he had re-established himself as an above-average starting quarterback in the NFL, poised for a big contract as one of the league's top free agents at the position.
At least in most people's eyes.
Greg Rosenthal of NFL.com recently put together a list of the top 101 NFL Free Agents. It takes some scrolling, but once you get all the way down to No. 22 on the list, you'll find Baker Mayfield. Even more egregious than how low Mayfield is on the list is the fact that he is ranked directly below journeyman backup quarterback, Jacoby Brissett, who came in at No. 21.
The intention isn't to disrespect Jacoby Brissett, who has proven to be one of the best backups in the league over the past seven seasons or so. In fact, most probably wouldn't even argue with someone like Rosenthal making the claim that he has the pedigree to operate as a serviceable starter. But for Rosenthal to suggest that Jacoby Brissett is a more desirable free agent, and thus a better player, than Baker Mayfield at this point of their careers is beyond reach. It's downright laughable. A travesty, if you will.
Any media-generated player ranking is subjective. That being said, Greg Rosenthal listing Jacoby Brissett ahead of Baker Mayfield in his 'top free agents' list is objectively wrong. With free agency set to get underway in less than a week, I'm more than confident that the contracts these two players sign will prove it.
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