Getty Image / Nic Antaya
The New England Patriots and Baker Mayfield went in opposite directions during the 2023 NFL season. Mayfield had a career renaissance in Tampa Bay this year, while the Patriots were a horrific 4-13 on the season.
Now, Mayfield is a free agent and the New England Patriots need a quarterback after Mac Jones’ stunning regression the last two years. Could Mayfield find himself on the Patriots next year?
That’s a definite possibility, if a new report on Friday from the Boston Herald is to be believed.
The Patriots are still most likely to find their next quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but there are other ways to find their future starter, and the top impending free agents are two intriguing candidates in Baker Mayfield and Kirk Cousins.
Mayfield has supporters from within the Patriots’ organization, per sources, but there are some impediments to signing him. It’s not a surprise that Mayfield is liked by members of the staff. He was drafted by a front office that included current Patriots de facto general manager Eliot Wolf and coached by offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney with the Browns. Patriots senior personnel advisor Pat Stewart and senior offensive assistant Ben McAdoo spent time with Mayfield with the Panthers, as well.
As the excerpt said, the most likely quarterback solution for the New England Patriots is to draft whoever is left out of Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, And Jayden Daniels. But, Mayfield is a pretty good option, too.
Mayfield completed 64.3% of his passes for just over 4000 yards to go along with 28 touchdowns against just 10 interceptions. Those are really impressive numbers when you consider the team had no run game and frequently had poor pass protection on the interior.
Is he a better option than one of those three guys in the draft? It’s debatable. But, it’s not debatable that he’s a better option than the Mac Jones–Bailey Zappe combination the Patriots rolled out there last year.
The most likely scenario for Baker Mayfield is coming back to the Buccaneers on a big contract. But, it would be fun to see him have the chance to return the franchise to glory, or at least perennial playoff contention.
Free agency starts March 13.