Baker Mayfield Joins Some Elite Company
October 14th, 2025
“Welcome to the club, Baker.”
You don’t hear very often about quarterbacks flipping teams and then putting up crazy good numbers.
Think about it: If a quarterback is any good, his previous team would never let him go.
Of course, there are exceptions. Like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Their teams, after years of success, apparently thought they had wrung every productive drop out of them and decided it was time to move on.
In Manning’s case, he was damaged goods with a severe neck injury. In Brady’s case, he was in his 40s and the Belicheats thought he was washed.
Of course, both Manning and Brady proved their original teams wrong.
There are only two quarterbacks who have thrown for 80 touchdowns in their first 40 starts after changing teams since the merger in 1970, Brady and Manning.
Well, now there is three. Baker Mayfield joined that club after throwing two touchdown passes Sunday in the win over San Francisco.
So is Mayfield a franchise quarterback? Hell, yes.
And to think there are still people who walk the streets thinking Kyle Trask is the answer. (Joe just doesn’t know what the question is.)
.@rancarthon thinks Baker Mayfield has entered the category of 'franchise quarterback' for the Buccaneers. pic.twitter.com/66uJN7BuJN
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 13, 2025