Baker Mayfield is not considered among the elite quarterbacks in the NFL. But, his performance over the past two seasons has certainly surpassed the expectations of everyone around the league.
It’s hard to fathom that he’s the same guy who was traded for a fifth-round pick and then cut during the 2022 season. But, after two straight Pro Bowl appearances, Mayfield earned a career-best ranking on The Athletic‘s quarterback tier list yesterday.
How Was the List Constructed?
Yesterday, Mike Sando of The Athletic released the quarterback tiers article, featuring Bucs QB Baker Mayfield at No. 11. In order to create the tiers, The Athletic put together a panel of 50 voters, including the following league members:
- Six general managers
- Six assistant general managers
- Six former general managers
- Five other executives
- Eight head coaches
- 19 other coaches, including 15 coordinators
“Each voter placed 34 veteran quarterbacks into five tiers, from best (Tier 1) to worst (Tier 5),” Sando explained. “Quarterbacks were then ranked by average vote and placed into tiers based on vote distribution. The survey excludes rookies because voters have not seen them play in the NFL.”
The top four quarterbacks were no surprise, although it is interesting that Joe Burrow jumped up to tie with Patrick Mahomes for first. But, there’s a ‘big four’ in the league right now comprised of Mahomes, Burrow, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford also jumped into Tier 1 this season for the first time in his career. I don’t quite understand how he fits in with the other four above him, but I’ll leave that to my colleague, Pat Pickens. Let’s get to Baker Mayfield.
Baker Mayfield Has Jumped 2 Tiers Since 2023
Just two years ago, Baker Mayfield’s NFL future looked as murky as any No. 1 overall pick in a while. At the lowest point of his career, Mayfield fell down to Tier 4.
He was coming off of a season where he threw just 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions across 10 games. But, after a game-winning drive during his first few days with the Rams, Baker Mayfield reignited his career.
Now, after two consecutive Pro Bowl seasons in Tampa Bay, Mayfield has jumped up to the highest ranking of his career at No. 11.
“Mayfield’s 33 votes in Tier 2 were one fewer than he commanded over the past five years combined,” Sando wrote.
One offensive coach credited a more constrained play style for Baker Mayfield’s leap in the rankings, writing that the Bucs QB “went from being a wild man to being a contained wild man.”
“He is still going to turn the ball over here and there, but he can elevate everyone around him through his style of play,” the offensive coach continued.
One of the main factors working in Baker Mayfield’s favor for these rankings is his consistency. Despite playing under a different offensive coordinator in each of his first two seasons in Tampa Bay, Mayfield produced career-best numbers across the board last year.
He’s going to play under another new offensive coordinator this season, as Liam Coen jumped at the opportunity for a head coaching gig in Jacksonville. So, I would bet on Mayfield continuing his ascendance toward the top 10.
“To his credit, he has different coordinators the last few years, and he is getting progressively better,” an executive said. “His ability and playmaking has helped him get back to the place where he was drafted, first overall.”
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