Where Does Baker Mayfield Rank Among NFL QBs?

Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is fresh off of the 2023 season in which he had the career resurgence he hoped for when he signed a one-year, $4 million contract (including incentives) with Tampa Bay last March.

Of course, Mayfield spent the 2022 season with three different teams before signing with the Buccaneers. He was first unceremoniously released by the Browns, who drafted him first overall in 2018 and led the former Oklahoma quarterback to his first playoff win since 1994. Then he struggled to find his place with the dysfunctional Carolina Panthers.

And finally, he finished the season with a bit of a happy spell with the Los Angeles Rams, who lost Matthew Stafford and had little point playing in the final weeks of the season.

So there wasn’t much of a fuss when suddenly, globetrotting Baker Mayfield signed with the Buccaneers after Tom Brady retired in February 2023.

Fast forward to today, and the level of fanfare surrounding Mayfield in Tampa Bay is on a whole other level. Mayfield helped the Buccaneers out of a 4-7 start last year to win their third straight NFC South championship and then beat the Eagles at home in the playoffs before their season came to a disastrous close the following week in Detroit.

But by the end of his one-year contract with the Buccaneers, he had thrown for 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in the regular season and 686 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions in the playoffs, and was named Offensive MVP in the Pro Bowl game where he replaced Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott.

Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR

This offseason, Baker Mayfield signed a three-year, $100 million contract as a reward for resurrecting his career. He charmed the city And now I can call this place home for the foreseeable future.

It’s been an incredible year for Mayfield: In addition to a Comeback Player of the Year-worthy season in Tampa and a big-money contract, he and his wife, Emily, welcomed a baby this offseason.

So what’s next for Baker Mayfield? Anyone who has followed his career at all knows he has no intention of resting on his laurels. He’s going to keep pushing himself to achieve more and maintain the passion that has endeared him to fans since his college days.

And his frustration may only grow as he feels he has even more to prove in 2024, especially after Pro Football Focus released its latest quarterback rankings ahead of the new season.

Where does PFF rank Baker Mayfield among NFL QBs?

Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield – Photo courtesy of USA Today

PFF’s Trevor Sikkema (a Pewter Report alumnus) 2024 Quarterback Rankings Buccaneers fans might not be happy with where Baker Mayfield is on the list this week.

In “Tier 5: Can Win or Lose a Game Alone,” Mayfield was ranked as the 20th best quarterback in the league. Of Tampa Bay’s $100 Million Man, Sikkema said: “He’s a great guy. He …

“Mayfield played on a one-year ‘prove it’ contract in 2023, but the ‘prove it’ part could have meant the end of his time as an NFL starter. It wasn’t his best season, numbers-wise, but it was enough to earn him a three-year extension. The final four games of the year were the catalyst.”

“Overall, Mayfield was inconsistent, missing 25 big-time passes and committing 22 turnover-worthy plays. But in his final four games, he earned a top-10 passing rating, including a stellar performance in a Week 15 road win at Green Bay that helped lead the Buccaneers to a strong finish and a playoff berth.”

Rounding out the “Tier 4: Melting Pot of Starters” list ahead of Mayfield were Arizona’s Kyler Murray at No. 17, Seattle’s Geno Smith at No. 18 and Chicago’s Caleb Williams (the top pick in the 2024 draft) at No. 19.

Following Mayfield in Tier 5 are New Orleans’ Derek Carr at 21st, Pittsburgh’s Russell Wilson at 22nd and Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson at 23rd.

What Baker Mayfield needs to do to climb the ranks in 2024

If we consider Baker Mayfield’s entire 2023 season, 20th is about where we would rank him among other starting quarterbacks in the league. That’s because while he and the Buccaneers finished the regular season on a high note, finishing 5-1 and winning in the playoffs, there were plenty of not-so-great moments before that.

Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield Photo courtesy of USA Today

Tampa Bay ended up starting 4-7, and while no one is going to blame Mayfield alone, he struggled. In Week 3 against the Eagles, he was just 15-of-25 for 146 yards, one touchdown and one interception. In Week 6 against the Lions, he was just 19-of-37 for 206 yards, no touchdowns and one interception.

Mayfield struggled in long losses to the Falcons and Bills and even struggled in the first two of Tampa Bay’s four-game winning streak in December, and the 9-0 win over Carolina in Week 18 wasn’t a particularly good day for Mayfield.

In simple terms – As Scott Reynolds of the Pewter Report recently wrote: — Baker Mayfield needs to cut down on his fumbles in 2024. Though he looked strong overall with 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, there were six or seven games in which the Tampa Bay quarterback was well below his best.

If Mayfield could cut those numbers in half or do better, his name would move up the rankings next year. As Sikkema noted, by PFF’s metrics, Mayfield made 25 big-time passes and 22 turnover-worthy plays. That wouldn’t get him in the top 15, much less any higher.

But with more consistent play and more standout performances like those in Week 4 against New Orleans, Week 15 against Green Bay and Week 16 against Jacksonville, Baker Mayfield could evolve from being just a happy career comeback story into a higher-ranked quarterback in the NFL.

What do you think, Pewter People?

Do you think 20th is the right ranking for Mayfield? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.