5 Reasons Jared Goff Is Better than Baker Mayfield

The Detroit Lions are highly unlikely to trade for Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield.

The national conversation in the National Football League has recently been dominated by the Cleveland Browns’ decision to trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson. 

This move was made despite the fact that the Browns still have their incumbent starter in Baker Mayfield on the roster.

Mayfield has formally requested a trade, and with the acquisition of Watson, his time as a Brown seems to be over. While the football world speculates over where he will suit up next season, the debate online has started whether Mayfield is an upgrade over Jared Goff. 

After struggling to begin the season, the former Los Angeles Ram enjoyed a productive second half that has inspired optimism about his future with the organization.

Here are five reasons why Goff is a better option than Mayfield when it comes to being a starter in the NFL.

Super Bowl experience

Under Sean McVay, the head coach of the Rams, Goff enjoyed plenty of success. The pinnacle of this success was an appearance in Super Bowl LIII, which the team lost, 13-3, to the New England Patriots.

Despite the loss, this is evidence of the fact that Goff has been there, done that, when it comes to winning in the playoffs. The California product holds a 3-3 record in the playoffs, and he won a postseason game as recent as 2020.

Mayfield, meanwhile, has appeared in the playoffs once in his four seasons. Granted, the Browns were rebuilding when they selected him first overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. Yet, he hasn’t lived up to expectations, as the team around him has gotten better.

The experience of the playoffs makes Goff a significant upgrade. This isn’t necessarily a knock on Mayfield, as he’s been to the playoffs once and nearly led an upset of the eventual AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs. But, the big game experience, or lack thereof, has become a separator amongst NFL quarterbacks in recent years.

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Turnover issues

In Goff’s six seasons as a pro, he’s thrown just 63 interceptions. In two less years, Mayfield has already totaled 56.

The Oklahoma product threw 21 interceptions in his first full season as a starter in 2019. Goff’s worst season, which was coincidentally the same year, saw him throw 16 picks. Last season, the California native threw just eight interceptions.

Mayfield threw 13 interceptions in 14 games in 2021, including four in a two-point loss to Green Bay in Week 16. These turnover issues are a large part of why the team elected to move on from him, despite there still being potential within him as he enters his age-27 season.

Experienced leader

Another knock on Mayfield has been his off-field issues. During his time in college, there were actions, such as the sideline celebration against Kansas, that made people question his maturity.

Those questions have been carried over to the NFL, where, according to reports, the Browns elected to move on from Mayfield because the team wanted “an adult” at quarterback. The signal-caller has also been known to air his feelings on social media.

Goff, meanwhile, has been poised in his six-year career. There have been no issues to speak of, other than the fracturing of his relationship with McVay. Even that, however, was out of his control, and he has spoken well of McVay when asked about him.

Adaptability

Though Goff was by no means spectacular in his first season as a Lion, he demonstrated a solid connection with rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown. In the second half of the season, the duo put together one of the best finishes in team history, as St. Brown broke the Lions’ rookie receiving yards record.

He connected with his wideouts as soon as he was traded to Detroit, working with them in the offseason. This work eventually paid off, as the team’s offense improved over the course of the season.

Mayfield, meanwhile, had one of the best receiving corps in the AFC, and couldn’t make the magic happen. He angered wideout Odell Beckham Jr. with a lack of targets and inability to connect.

Though the two were good friends off the field, ESPN reported that Mayfield underthrew Beckham on 27 percent of his throws that were intended for the LSU product. That inconsistency ultimately led to Beckham asking for and being granted his release.

Consistency

Mayfield has the edge between the two quarterbacks when it comes to big-play ability, as he moves better and can throw it as far as anyone. However, those skills lack consistency.

The turnover issues pop up, but so do problems with accuracy and timing with different receivers. Goff, meanwhile, doesn’t have blazing speed or a rocket arm, but has established consistency.

The first half of the 2021 season was difficult for Goff. However, he became much more consistent after fully adjusting to the offense. Mayfield, meanwhile, struggled with putting back-to-back solid games together.

There’s also a durability concern with Mayfield, who is coming off a shoulder injury that hampered him during the worst season of his short career. How that shoulder heals could have a big impact on the trajectory of his career.