The current NFL era is defined by a new generation of elite quarterbacks. From Lamar Jackson to Josh Allen to Joe Burrow, the league is stacked with franchise signal-callers.
But one stands above the rest: Patrick Mahomes, who rightfully sits atop the throne. In just eight seasons as a starter, Mahomes already has three Super Bowl rings in a whopping five appearances.
But quietly, since arriving in Tampa Bay in 2023, Baker Mayfield is producing at a level that should place him in the same conversation as the top quarterbacks in today’s game.
Baker Mayfield’s production since joining the Buccaneers rivals Patrick Mahomes
A post shared to X by FanDuel Sportsbook compared some of the individual statistics of Mayfield and Mahomes over the last two seasons, and the results paint a Mayfield in a very favorable light.
Is Baker Mayfield secretly a Top 5 QB in the NFL? 😳 pic.twitter.com/8NrUgrpHug
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) June 25, 2025
Mayfield leads Mahomes in yards, touchdowns, completion percentage, and passer rating. They've thrown nearly the same number of interceptions.
It’s very important to make the distinction that football is a team sport, and individual stats don’t always tell the entire story. After all, the most important stat each Sunday is wins, and Mahomes and the Chiefs hold a significant edge in that regard.
In the last two seasons, the Chiefs went 26-8 in the regular season, while the Buccaneers finished 19-15. Kansas City also went 5-1 in the playoffs over that span, winning a Super Bowl and appearing in two straight, as part of a run that includes three consecutive Super Bowl berths. In the same span, the Bucs have gone 1-2 in the postseason.
That’s not to discredit Mayfield’s success. Again, football is a team sport, and just like stats don’t tell the entire story, neither does a win-loss record. But at the same time, Mayfield would surely trade his more productive regular season stats for Mahomes’ playoff success.
Still, Mayfield deserves more respect for his development into an elite quarterback in Tampa Bay, where he’s completely turned his career around after a less-than-ideal start to his professional career. He leads the entire NFL in touchdown passes over the last two seasons, and has led the Bucs to the playoffs in both of his seasons as the starter.
He has cemented himself as a top ten quarterback going into 2025, and if he can put together another strong season and lead the Bucs on a deep playoff run, you’ll be seeing Mayfield get a lot more recognition as an elite quarterback in the NFL.
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