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Baker Mayfield spent most of May enduring criticism from the media with few solutions. However, one NFL analyst is attempting to swing the pendulum back toward pragmatic solutions. Speaking on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, the show host connected the dots, pointing the quarterback towards Providence.
Essentially, he said the quarterback would fit best with the New Orleans Saints, despite the existential presence of Jameis Winston. Here's how he put it:
“I am often viewed as Mr. Negative with Baker Mayfield. I think it's unfair, but I've said a lot of things that end up on YouTube and aren't that complimentary. Let me flip it today. I finally found a place for Baker Mayfield, and I actually think he can be really successful [there]."
He continued, slamming Jameis Winston's abilities:
"I saw a story yesterday about Jameis Winston of the Saints in OTAs limping around. Remember, he tore an ACL last year and wasn't a great athlete to begin with, and he's always been perpetually goofy. But Baker Mayfield should really try to get to New Orleans, and I'll tell you why."
He went on, saying that no one is expecting the world from Jameis Winston:
"Number one, they [the Saints] have already moved Taysom Hill, I think smartly out of the quarterback room. Drew Brees, Taysom Hill... that was a Sean Payton idea. Maybe Sean Payton can make it work. Now they have a defensive coach. They've moved Taysom Hill out of the quarterback room. Number two, nobody really is all-in on Jameis."
He elaborated, saying that Tom Brady essentially disproved Winston as a viable solution at quarterback:
"He's always been, you know, Jameis. I mean, let's be honest. He went seven and nine. They brought in Brady and they won the Super Bowl. That was not a great day in his career. So there's a lot of doubters with Jameis Winston and now he's limping around."
Cowherd wrapped up his point by saying the team wants to "win now:"
"Number three is the Saints are actually an effective quarterback away from making the playoffs. It's a bad division and they have a real defense. They want to win now.”
The Baker Mayfield saga since 2020
The biggest story with the quarterback for many was how he elevated a franchise from a 1-31 run to become just a couple of games under .500. However, taking that out of the equation, Mayfield becomes one who made the playoffs once in four seasons, failing to make a deep run in his only appearance.
The motto "what have you done for me lately" is a tacit rule of analysis in the NFL. Since 2020, the quarterback has been trending down. In 2020, he made the playoffs with the best record of his career. He threw for 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions, boasting an 11-5 record. However, the following season, he fell back into a sub .500 hole with the team.
Thus, many agree that when Deshaun Watson became available, the team couldn't resist moving on from yesterday's news. Some would argue that had the Browns had their 2020 season in 2021, they would not have ended up with Watson. Instead, they won the sweepstakes, leaving Mayfield in the rain. Where will the quarterback land?
