What New York Giants QB Daniel Jones Can Learn from Baker Mayfield

The Giants need for quarterback Daniel Jones to find the kind of success Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield found in his third season. Mayfield recently shared a philosophy that helped him get through the rocky times and is one that can help Jones as well.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Aug 21, 2021 7:48 PM EDT

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield knows all about the pressure that comes with being named a franchise quarterback.

Drafted sixth overall in 2018, Mayfield’s career initially got off to a shaky start. He posted a 12-17 record in his first two seasons, throwing for 49 touchdowns to 35 interceptions.

MORE: Giants vs. Browns: Three Things to Watch in Preseason Game 2

In his third year, Mayfield went from potentially being the latest in a long line of unsuccessful quarterbacks for the Browns into a bonafide franchise signal-caller by his third season.

“You have to have self-confidence,” Mayfield said this week when asked about what helped him overcome the shaky start to his NFL career. “You have to trust the people in your corner. It goes along with setting expectations—you set your own, you live up to that standard, and you have to hold yourself accountable to that every day. That is the key to it.

“You get caught up in the outside and if I was listening to the BS, then I probably would be done and not playing. Just focused on me and getting better every day.”

MORE: What’s the Giants’ Biggest Weakness Ahead of the 2021 Season?

That lesson Mayfield learned as he was trying to find his niche and get his feet underneath him in the NFL is one that can help benefit another sixth overall draft pick who’s trying to find his solid footing in the NFL, Giants quarterback Daniel Jones.

Jones has done a pretty good job of blocking out the external noise. But while that’s all well and good, the fact remains that Jones still owns an 8-18 record as a starting quarterback with zero playoff appearances.

MORE: New York Giants Mailbag: Supersized Camp Edition

While Jones is partially to blame for that less than impressive showing, he hasn’t exactly been blessed with the best supporting cast in his first two seasons. That’s why the Giants, looking to put Jones in a better position to succeed, added playmakers on offense with the hope that Jones, now in Year 2 of the same system, will be able to play faster and smarter.

“Yeah, it’s a big year for all of us,” Jones recently said about his upcoming third season. “Every year is a big year and playing in the NFL, you’re expected to perform and perform well.”

Jones, who has been locked into doing what he needs to do, is also aware of Mayfield and Bills quarterback Josh Allen's leaps in their third seasons.

“Yeah, there’s certainly stuff to learn from those guys and learn from people who have had success early in their careers, whether it be year two, three, four, whatever it is,” he said.

“I’m focused on improving myself and making sure that I’m in a position to play well and this offense is in a position to play well.”

As much as he’s dialed in on what he needs to do, there’s only so much criticism Jones can block out if he doesn’t play well. Mayfield, who also went through that in his first two seasons with the Browns, said that if a player is listening to the outside chatter, he’s not doing his job.

“I am able to internalize that and realize that I have to have an edge every single day to be the best version of me for these guys and to be a leader of this franchise, but at the same time, do my job first.”

Jones is a little more reserved than Mayfield, at least publicly, but he’s also just as motivated as any of his contemporaries, regardless of their experience or prior records. The Giants hope that motivation yields the kind of results they have always thought Jones can produce.

“We believe in Daniel, and we’re excited to see what he's going to do in the second year in the system,” general manager Dave Gettleman said last week. “You know how diligent the kid is--we’ve talked about it all the time. He works just as hard on the field as he does off the field.

“He's more comfortable, he’s more prepared. It’ll be fun to see what happens when we finally give him a full complement of players out there.”