Is Baker Mayfield the biggest QB disappointment this NFL season?
For the Cleveland Browns and their fans, "At Home with Baker Mayfield" has hit in an all-too-literal sense this NFL postseason.
Mayfield's disappointing fourth season in the Cleveland backfield is one of the biggest reasons why the Browns (8-9) were unable to get back to the playoffs.
This is a failure made all the more humiliating by the rise of their in-state rivals from Cincinnati to the top of the AFC North.
Cleveland has been implied to have made another year's commitment to Mayfield, who skipped the meaningless finale against the aforementioned Bengals to begin offseason rehab on a shoulder injury that partly contributed to his struggles.
With the regular season completed, SK ponders...
Was Mayfield the NFL's biggest QB disappointment in 2021?
While Mayfield, having led the Browns to their first 11-win season and first playoff victory since 1994 last January, disappointed many, several others made their own claims to the unwanted throne.
-Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers
Mayfield and Darnold are forever linked by their near-neighboring spots on the 2018 NFL Draft board. Mayfield went to the Browns with the top overall pick, while the USC alum Darnold went to the Jets two picks later.
New York opted to move on from Darnold after three seasons, as Zach Wilson's takeover led to a move to the Panthers. Things got off to an inspiring start as Darnold won each of his first three starts in Charlotte, putting up six total touchdowns in that process.
But things sputtered from there on out as Darnold returned to earth without the services of top rusher Christian McCaffrey.
Darnold's own injuries certainly played a role in his on-field fortunes dwindling, but the fact that the Panthers failed to reach 20 points in any of his final six starts (which saw Darnold lose eight turnovers) isn't promising at all.
An uncomfortable conversation likely awaits about Darnold's lingering potential as an NFL franchise quarterback, one only exacerbated by the fact that the Panthers have already picked up his fifth-year option from his original Jets deal.
-Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints
It feels like no modern third day of the NFL Draft is complete without a quarterback selection, particularly if that thrower has ever lined up anywhere other than under center, without some analysts declaring that the team in question has "found their own Taysom Hill."
An extended time as the Saints' post-Drew Brees starter, brought upon by Jameis Winston's season-ending injury, more or less ensures that the Hill phenomenon is more akin to the Wildcat offense.
Hill came up short in leading the Saints during his time in charge. Sure, the Saints could still rely upon him as a multi-talented asset as he did a solid job on the ground running the football.
But the fact remains that they're on the hook for $140 million over the next four years thanks to a Brees retirement-induced extension. Hill can contribute, but it doesn't look like he's the NFL franchise quarterback the Saints envisioned him to be.
-Carson Wentz, Indianapolis Colts
One can undoubtedly declare that the course of NFL history changed forever when Drew Bledsoe was injured in September 2001, giving way to the rise of Tom Brady.
One can also make an argument that a Carson Wentz injury in December 2017 did the same thing. Indianapolis was supposed to be a fresh start for Wentz, who took over the spot that Phillip Rivers kept warm in his final season (winning 11 games in that span).
The Colts provided a relatively peaceful setting after his Eagles tenure came to a tumultuous end, but things are perhaps rockier now than ever.
His vaccination status...or lack thereof...got things off to a tough start from the beginning and he struggled to find his footing over the course of the season, relying mostly on the rushing antics of Jonathan Taylor to build a postseason case.
Wentz apparently had things together over the final stages of the season, but a poor performance in Jacksonville sealed his fate and kept the Colts off the 2022 postseason bracket.
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