Does anyone remember when Baker Mayfield criticized the Giants for drafting Daniel Jones? It was August 2019, when the then-Browns quarterback and 2018 No. 1 overall draft pick did a profile for GQ. He was out to eat with GQ’s Clay Skipper when a TV near their booth showed Sportscenter — the Giants and Daniel Jones, that year’s No. 6 overall draft pick, were the subject of the current segment.
Mayfield was actually coming off a decent year (yeah, surprising) in which he set an NFL rookie record with 27 touchdown passes. But he still felt the need to give his two cents about another quarterback. Because of course he did.
“I cannot believe the Giants took Daniel Jones,” he said. “Blows my mind.”
Yeah, it was pretty unprofessional. But Jones handled it gracefully and both quarterbacks moved on.
But now it’s 2023, and oh have the turntables — a lot of us realized this Thursday.
After the Jets bailed on their joint practice with the Buccaneers in Florham Park, the Bucs decided to hold their practice at the Giants’ nearby training facility in East Rutherford. That’s where Mayfield – on his fourth team since 2021 – and unproven third-year man Kyle Trask battled for a Week 1 starting job. On the practice field of Jones, who was in the playoffs last year and signed a $160 million contract with $82 million fully guaranteed just five months ago.
No one has ever compared Jones to Mayfield (or vice versa) since the latter’s 2019 comments. Honestly, it wasn’t even that big of a story 36 hours after it was. Through Jones’ fluctuating development and Mayfield’s failure with multiple teams, even we forgot about it.
But Thursday was truly an eye-opener to how much has unfolded in four years. Guess it’s good Jones knows how to lead an NFL offense (and not talk unnecessary smack in an interview after one season of mild success).
