Credible Pundit Suggests Odd QB of Future for Vikings
Baker Mayfield is in total NFL limbo after the Cleveland Browns swung a mammoth deal to trade for the controversial Deshaun Watson. Eventually, Mayfield will land another quarterback job, and a credible ESPN pundit believes that could be with the Minnesota Vikings.
Dan Graziano from ESPN detailed possible places of employment for Mayfield after reportedly speaking with various teams while taking their pulse on the 27-year-old quarterback. The Vikings made the shortlist from Graziano, who noted, “This is an example of a place where Mayfield or Garoppolo wouldn’t start right away but could position himself as the team’s starter in 2023, the way Winston did with the Saints in 2020.”
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Also on the list for Mayfield’s services? The Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints.
For the Graziano theory, Mayfield migrating to Minnesota would be an in-the-future possibility. The Vikings are set with Kirk Cousins in 2022 — for better or worse, according to some Vikings fans — and any relationship with Mayfield would unfold in 2023 or if something happened to Cousins injury-wise in 2022.
Mayfield was the #1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, a class stocked to the brim at the time with quarterback talent. His opening salvo in Cleveland was promising, leading the Browns to their first playoff win since 1994 in a Wildcard thrashing of the rival Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020.
Soon after, though, Mayfield was beset by injury, making his 2021 campaign flat-out bad and evidently not enough for Cleveland’s brass to trust. He “played through the pain” and came out on the other side looking worse. In fact, his production was so underwhelming that Mayfield had similar numbers to Davis Mills from the Houston Texans and Taylor Heinicke from the Washington Commanders in 2021 — a tier the Browns wanted no part of after learning of Watson’s availability.
For the Vikings, well, Mayfield could be a contingency plan if Cousins flops with new head coach Kevin O’Connell. Stranger things have happened, especially with Mayfield’s ties to Minnesota’s new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Mayfield was the Browns QB1 during Adofo-Mensah’s two seasons in Cleveland.
However, if the Vikings don’t finish with a winning record in 2022, Adofo-Mensah is more likely to tap a quarterback of the future from the 2023 NFL Draft than sign Mayfield. The Vikings are overdue for splashing into the “QB on a rookie deal” trend. And signing Mayfield — who has never in his professional life played as well as Cousins — would seem a bit odd if turning the page on Cousins was the mindset.
Regardless, Mayfield is entering the physical prime of his career. His situation is truly bizarre, coveted as recently as one year ago but now mired in “nobody wants him” status.
Some team will utilize Mayfield as a bridge quarterback to a rookie or even give the man a look for QB1 duty. But with the Vikings loudly-announced endearment toward Cousins and Adofo-Mensah’s dedication to “player value,” slipping into bed with Mayfield seems unlikely and counterproductive.
Or, you know, the Vikings could just be good with Cousins and O’Connell leading the franchise. That’s the goal.
Mayfield becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2023, so teams may bide time to entertain his QB candidacy then — rather than trading for the Oklahoma alumnus this summer.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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