5 NFL superstars who are being held back by their current teams
The NFL landscape is a precarious field to navigate. Countless high school graduates take to college each year to play football. Of this immense sample size of about 70,00 players, only a mere 224 get drafted each year. Of these 224 rookies, less than half actually make it into the starting lineup of their teams.
Being a successful player in the NFL is without a doubt extremely hard. Players must consistently perform at the highest level to even be considered successful.
However, though some of these players actually perform on the required level to be successful, other external factors see to it that they get left out of the conversation.
Herewith are five NFL players who are being held back by their current teams.
Jared Goff - Detroit Lions
In 2016, with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, the Rams selected Jared Goff in an attempt to turn around their franchise. The California product very quickly lived up to expectations, leading the freshly relocated Los Angeles franchise to the postseason in three of his first four seasons with the team.
Unfortunately, following his Super Bowl appearance as a third-year gunslinger, he only declined from there, producing just one postseason win before his eventual trade to Detroit.
Despite never winning less than nine games with the Rams, Goff led the Lions to a 3-10-1 outfit during his first run in Motown.
The Lions have higher expectations in 2022, but if those aren't delivered on, he needs to get out of Detroit and find a team where he can achieve the same success Matthew Stafford just did with Goff's former team.
Baker Mayfield - Cleveland Browns
No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 NFL draft, Baker Mayfield, is being held captive in Cleveland. After leading the Browns to their first postseason victory since 1994, the quarterback was pushed to the side to make way for Deshaun Watson.
While Mayfield did struggle on his own accord in 2021, even with one of the league's sturdiest offensive lines, he deserved to at least be told he wouldn't be QB1 in Cleveland anymore. Now that the Browns have committed to Deshaun Watson as their guy, the franchise needs to do what it can to find Mayfield a new home.
Baker Mayfield right now after the #browns text him at start of season https://t.co/xLwvGjvL3X
Every day that Mayfield isn't on a different roster can be considered a disservice to the QB.
Saquon Barkley - New York Giants
Not once in his New York Giants career has Saquon Barkley been properly supported by Big Blue's offensive line. Though it hasn't directly led to injuries, it most certainly hasn't aided to his longevity.
Despite being in the league for four seasons, the former star Penn State rusher is no longer considered an up-and-comer. Worst yet, he hasn't been called a star since his rookie season.
Barkley didn't even rank in the top 32 in rushing yards per game among backs in 2021. The Giants O-line is capping Barkley's earning potential and legacy.
Tua Tagovailoa - Miami Dolphins
Tua Tagovailoa is stuck in an unfortunate situation down in Miami behind a Dolphins offensive line that is even worse than Big Blue's. Tagovailoa was injured after being blindsided last year against the Buffalo Bills. His absence from over a quarter of the 2021 schedule was a direct result of protection issues.
Least amount of money spent on Offensive Line for 2022 season
Steelers $23.7M
Bears $27.3M
Dolphins $28.1M
Seahawks $28.3M
cap numbers via @spotrac https://t.co/vrjHB4e0Kk
While it's unfair to use that isolated incident as definitive evidence that Tagovailoa is being held back so far in his NFL career, it is fair to say the Dolphins O-line is not strong. Based on PFF's protection grades, Miami's O-line ranks dead last in the league by a good margin.
The former No. 5 draft pick, who led Alabama to a National Championship win in 2018 against the Georgia Bulldogs, should be further along by this point in his career. Instead, he's being rumored to be replaced by Tom Brady or (before the Browns traded for him) Deshaun Watson.
Derek Carr - Las Vegas Raiders
Derek Carr has been in the NFL for eight seasons and his progress has stalled as a signal-caller. This isn't from an individual standpoint though, considering he nearly became a 5,000-yard passer in 2021.
When assessing the situation from the team's perspective, it becomes clear how Carr is being held back in Vegas. The Raiders, as a team, haven't won a postseason game with Carr under center. They've been to the playoffs just twice since 2014, and in 2016, he was injured for the final week of the regular season and their Wild Card loss to the Houston Texans.
Is Carr a Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, or Patrick Mahomes-level QB? Probably not. However, he does in fact have the talent to be a Pro Bowl regular like he was throughout the first portion of his career.