Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was recently asked to put together a list of the top five quarterbacks in football, and one of his inclusions may surprise you.
When people talk about who they think the top five quarterbacks in the NFL are right now, several familiar names usually come up: Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Joe Burrow.
Plenty will put Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys, as well as the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, the reigning regular season MVP, on their list. A few may even mention names such as Tua Tagovailoa, Jalen Hurts or Brock Purdy.
Meanwhile, Hill mentioned Mahomes, Prescott and Jackson and added his teammate Tua Tagovailoa to the list, he also put in a very surprising name: Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Can Baker Mayfield replicate his success in 2024?
There was a time when many thought Mayfield was destined to become a top-five signal-caller. He was the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft by the Cleveland Browns, and some felt he would become the biggest sports star in Northeast Ohio while finally bringing respectability to a long-suffering Browns franchise.
While he did have some pleasant moments there, such as delivering Cleveland its first NFL playoff victory since its current iteration began play in 1999, by and large, his tenure there was frustrating. He finally snapped and asked for a trade two years ago when, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, the team preferred “an adult” under center.
Mayfield had a frustrating start to the 2022 season with the Carolina Panthers, who released him. He finished out the year with the Los Angeles Rams as a replacement for the injured Matthew Stafford, and he then joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last offseason in what was seen as perhaps his last chance at fulfilling his potential.
What followed was a feel-good story. Mayfield threw for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns, which was ninth and seventh, respectively, in the NFL. He was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time and led the Buccaneers to a first-place finish in the NFC South, as well as a Wild Card Round playoff win over the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Therefore, it is enticing for someone to want to give Mayfield plenty of due. But as good as he was last year, he simply isn’t on the level of Tagovailoa, Prescott, Hurts, Jackson or even Purdy or Justin Herbert.
On the other hand, a few more campaigns like the one Mayfield just had could lead to him being considered as a legitimate star QB.
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