There are many quarterbacks who have accomplished some of the highest levels in the game this NFL wild-card weekend. Two outstanding rookies, the offensive rookie of the previous season, two Super Bowl champions, a two-time MVP, and two quarterbacks who somehow made it off the scrap heap—Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield and Minnesota’s Sam Darnold—are all included in the first round.
In 2018, Darnold was selected third overall, and Mayfield was selected first overall. Before entering the league, they were already well-known. Then, like many highly sought-after young quarterbacks, they had trouble settling in. They started bouncing around the league after flame-out with their first teams.
During his first four seasons, Mayfield played for the Cleveland Browns, where he occasionally displayed great promise and even helped the team defeat Pittsburgh in the playoffs. However, there were also many bad points, such as a shoulder injury that ended his time in that city quietly.
He ended up with the dreadful Panthers in Carolina, then briefly with the Rams before coming to Los Angeles and, amazingly, defeating the Las Vegas Raiders two days later with little any playbook knowledge.
However, Mayfield wasn’t long for Los Angeles because he was simply covering for an ailing Matthew Stafford. Mayfield didn’t really find long-term success until he moved to Tampa, where quarterback has led the Buccaneers to an NFC South championship and a first-round matchup with the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
Even more dramatic and unexpected is Darnold’s career revival. The NFL moved the game due to the wildfires in Los Angeles, and the former USC star will play the Rams on Monday night in Glendale, Arizona.
The Rams
NFL moves Rams playoff game against Minnesota Vikings to Arizona
In the midst of Southern California fires, the Rams were getting ready to play the Vikings on Thursday when the NFL announced that the Monday night playoff game would now take place in Arizona.
The Vikings are ridiculously successful at 14-3 for a wild-card club that must travel, but they lost to the 15-2 Detroit Lions in their final and the NFC North, thus Minnesota had to leave.
Darnold, who used to be a turnover machine, has been incredibly consistent this season. He concluded with a strong passer rating of 102.5, which was by far his highest of his career, after throwing for 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
His career path took him from the New York Jets to the Panthers, where he and Mayfield played together, to the San Francisco 49ers, where he had the opportunity to observe and gain knowledge, and finally to the Vikings. It’s going well so far, but some people may be waiting for him to return to Earth.
I contacted three former NFL quarterbacks who know Darnold and Mayfield well and have knowledge of the elements that have shaped and continue to develop them in order to gain a different viewpoint on their respective journeys. Troy Aikman, a three-time Super Bowl champion and Hall of Famer, Rich Gannon, and Matt Hasselbeck are those quarterbacks that led their teams to Super Bowls.
Among what they noted: