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Some comments are really prophetic while others don’t age quite as well. Baker Mayfield had something to say when the New York Giants picked up Daniel Jones back in 2019. Four years after the initial comments, Mayfield might just rue saying anything on the matter. Jones has given an answer worth $160 million for those comments.

Mayfield has struggled to put his stamp of authority on the NFL since coming onto the scene in 2018. And while he will start afresh on the fourth team of his career, Jones has just got a big money contract to show for his efforts.

The Baker Mayfield comment that didn’t age well 

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When Daniel Jones signed with the New York Giants in the 2019 NFL draft, the then Cleveland Browns QB didn’t seem happy. He was actually surprised that the Giants chose Jones. And he didn’t hide what he thought about the draft pick.

“I cannot believe the Giants took Daniel Jones. It blows my mind. Some people overthink it. That’s where people go wrong. They forget you gotta win,” Mayfield said in a 2019 interview with GQ.

 

He later backtracked on his statement, saying that he was even surprised at himself being the number one pick in the 2018 edition of the draft. But that statement still hangs on him all these years later. And it has resurfaced after the most recent season.

While Mayfield is still struggling to nail down a team, changing colors four times, Jones has got a $160 million extension with the Giants. The Giants think of their QB as the one for the future. As for Mayfield, the jury has still not returned a verdict, although the window is closing on it fast.

Career contrast with Daniel Jones 

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Both Baker Mayfield and Daniel Jones went high in their respective drafts. But their career trajectories have gone in contrasting directions. Mayfield started his NFL career with the Browns. While he did impress there, the Browns traded him off to the Carolina Panthers in the 2022 offseason. Since then, he has become a sort of a wanderer.

The Panthers released him mid-season in 2022 after a disastrous start in Carolina. He then went to the Los Angeles Rams for the remainder of the season. Now, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed him as a replacement for Tom Brady on a one-year deal worth $4 million.

Jones has established himself as the starter for the Giants. And his stint has earned him his big money extension. That is a career path 180 degrees of Mayfield’s.

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The draft can be a tricky business. Nobody knows who will hit it off and who will be a bust. Only time can judge if the pick was a good one.

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