NEWSLETTER
Justin Fields is in an unenviable situation.
And it happens to be one Baker Mayfield knows all too well.
So, in a way, it makes sense that NFL Network host Andrew Siciliano asked Mayfield if he had any advice for the Chicago Bears quarterback as he navigates an offseason of uncertainty. And I feel as if Mayfield’s comments should hit close to home for Fields:
“For me, looking back on it now, I can say that if you control exactly who you are in the locker room, around your guys, the people you truly work with and you’re around, you control that and you can be proud of that and how you operated, then it just wasn’t meant to be. So, for me, it took me a long time to understand that. From a guy who always thought I was in control, I wasn’t. So I had to trust God’s plan on that one and just make the most of whatever opportunity came next. Now, sitting here, it’s crazy to look back on.
For Justin, it’s not a very fun position to be in. So you just have to control what you can. Be the guy there for your teammates and your family around you that’s going to be consistent no matter what you’re going through knowing that his opportunities in the NFL aren’t over. He can still make the most of it, whatever’s next for him.”
Baker is right. It is absolutely wild to think about where we are with him in 2024. Think about it. At this time last year, could you imagine a football universe in which Mayfield was netting a $100 million contract? Would you have envisioned the Bears trying to trade Fields, let alone having trouble finding a trade partner based on his performance in 2022? But that is where we are because the NFL is truly unpredictable. You just can’t script this stuff.
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Baker Mayfield knows what Justin Fields is going through right now
If anyone can relate to what Justin Fields is going through right now, it just so happens to be Baker Mayfield. And that is what makes the conversation above so fascinating to me. In 2020, Mayfield was seen as the Cleveland Browns franchise quarterback. Not only did he lead the Browns to 11 wins and a playoff berth in 2020, but he also led the team to a playoff win against the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road. You’d think pulling off that kind of feat in Year 3 of your rookie deal would make you untouchable in Cleveland. As it turns out, that wasn’t the case.
A year later, Mayfield followed with an injury-riddled 2022 campaign that cast doubt over his future with the Browns. Then, Cleveland went all-in on trading for Deshaun Watson (and giving him a record contract) when he was coming off a suspension. The move made for an awkward time for Mayfield at the end of his run in Cleveland. He requested a trade (and was denied), got left hanging in no-man’s land by his own team, saw the front office trade for his replacement, and left him with no suitable options for an alternative landing spot because everything else was filled by the time the Browns ironed out that Watson deal. Tough times.
Eventually, Mayfield shut the door on a return to Cleveland and was ultimately traded to the Carolina Panthers. That didn’t work out as planned and he found his way to the Los Angeles Rams. However, things began turning around in 2023. Because after that year of being in limbo with the Panthers and Rams, Mayfield had a career-altering renaissance with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Baker led the Bucs to an NFC South title and a playoff win this past season, then parlayed that into a three-year extension that includes $50 million in guaranteed money and could be worth up to $115 million.
I’m framing the Justin Fields situation through the lens of Baker Mayfield’s trials and tribulations because there is a comp to be made here. To be clear, it isn’t an apples-to-apples comp. But this could be more of an apples-and-oranges comparison in that both are fruits with different flavor profiles. Mixed-up metaphors aside, Mayfield’s career arc and resurgence in Tampa Bay provide a blueprint for Fields to follow. At a minimum, it represents a potential light at the end of the tunnel in this saga. Here’s hoping it doesn’t get as ugly in Chicago with Fields as it did with Mayfield in Cleveland.
