Baker Mayfield was convinced the Patriots were going to draft him. Thank goodness that didn’t happen. Mac Jones is already comparable to Mayfield, and the Patriots might’ve given up a Super Bowl in the process.
Let’s rewind to April 2018. It was the height of the Brady-Belichick melodrama, when the greatest head coach and quarterback of all-time were dissing each other through subtle jabs and leaked anecdotes. Belichick trading up to select Mayfield, the flag-planting, Heisman winner, to succeed Brady would’ve been an explosive move.
And it might’ve happened if Mayfield had stayed on the board, at least according to his agent. He said on a podcast the Patriots were considering trading up to No. 2 overall to grab the then-Oklahoma standout. The Patriots met with Mayfield about a week before the NFL Draft.
Of course, the Browns took Mayfield No. 1 overall, removing him from the board before the hypothetical scenario could unfold. But the idea of the Patriots trading up for Mayfield isn’t fantastical, especially with hindsight. Belichick let Brady leave as a free agent in March 2020. That means Mayfield would’ve sat for two seasons. Aaron Rodgers sat for three.
But Mayfield wouldn’t have sat quietly. The most remarkable component of Brady and Belichick’s ninth Super Bowl run was their ability to seemingly sideline their differences for the six-month season. Brady won the battle: Jimmy Garoppolo was gone, Brian Hoyer was back sitting behind him. The drumbeat of the previous year mellowed. Once again, it was about the football.
Mayfield’s presence would’ve complicated that.
There’s also the question of what the Giants wanted for the No. 2 overall pick. The Patriots had two first round selections (No. 23 and No. 31), which turned into Isaiah Wynn and Sony Michel. But the cost would’ve been steeper. Belichick was shopping Rob Gronkowski at the time, and reportedly even agreed to send him to the Lions (Gronk vetoed the trade). Two first-rounders, a second-rounder and Gronk might’ve gotten it done.
Bye-bye, Ring No. 6. The Patriots don’t beat the Rams in Super Bowl LIII without Gronkowski, who caught the 29-yard strike to set up Michel’s game-winning touchdown.
The lack of a waiting heir apparent for Brady sunk the Patriots in 2020, but as Matt Light famously said, that was kind of a fake season, anyway. Jones was worth the wait. He’s shown poise, toughness and accuracy. Lost in the shuffle of the Brian Burns brouhaha is the fact that Jones tried to make a play after he got leveled.
The guy on the couch (me) loves to see that.
Statistically, Jones is already an average NFL QB. He’s 21st in yards per game, tied for 20th in touchdowns and tied for the 10th-most interceptions thrown. He excels in completion percentage, ranking ninth. Meanwhile, Mayfield is 18th in yards per game, tied for 23d in touchdowns and tied for 14th-most INTs. His completion percentage is nearly identical to Jones’ (66.7% compared to 68%).
In Mayfield’s defense, he’s a much better quarterback without OBJ clogging up his ears. The Browns scored 41 points Sunday without Beckham.
But Nick Chubb was the key to their success. The bruising back ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns. No wonder he was rewarded with a new extension worth $20 million guaranteed.
And that is maybe the biggest mark against Mayfield: the Browns don’t appear to be fully invested in him yet. They’re extending players around him (they just made Joel Bitonio the third-highest paid guard in the NFL), but still haven’t even picked up his fifth-year option — never mind sign him long-term.
The Patriots won’t even have to consider those questions with Jones for another three years. That’s the best part about rookie QBs who can play: their affordability allows teams to build around them.
The Patriots and Jones are just at the beginning, whereas the Browns and Mayfield could be at the end. Maybe Mayfield would be better under Belichick and Josh McDaniels, but we’ll never know.
Sometimes the best moves are the ones you can't make.
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