Every team wants to draft its quarterback of the future in the first round and live happily ever after, but obviously that doesn’t always happen. So it’s a good thing that the current crop of journeymen quarterbacks might be the best it’s ever been in the NFL.
Baker Mayfield has helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win back-to-back NFC South titles and has statistically been one of the league’s best passers. Daniel Jones is off to a 2-0 start with the Indianapolis Colts. Sam Darnold helped the Minnesota Vikings go 14-3 last year, and Geno Smith was a two-time Pro Bowler with the Seattle Seahawks before getting traded to the Las Vegas Raiders this past offseason.
So with Drew Brees, the future Hall of Famer once considered a journeyman quarterback himself, joining “FOX NFL Kickoff” and “FOX NFL Sunday” ahead of Week 3, he and Charles Woodson shared what has stood out to them about each journeyman QB so far this season.
Drew Brees breaks down the resurgences of Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold
Baker Mayfield
Just like Brees did, Mayfield has overcome the height challenge to become a Pro Bowl quarterback. And after finishing in the top five in passing yards (4,500), passing touchdowns (41) and passer rating (106.8) last season, Mayfield looks like he’s going to have another strong year in 2025 as he’s thrown for five touchdowns through the first two games.
But what really impresses Brees is Mayfield’s attitude and the way he carries himself.
“I love everything about him,” Brees said. “I think he’s got moxy. He really has that team behind him. You watch that drive last week against the Texans — running for that first down against Cover 0, making a guy miss, going down, getting hit by C.J. Gardner-Johnson, popping up, getting in his face — I think he’s a tone-setter for that offense.
“He gets guys really wanting to play hard for him. He’s a playmaker at the end of games, too. I can’t say how many times I’ve seen him make plays in the fourth quarter on the final drive.”
Daniel Jones
Jones’ play with the Colts has been one of the big early surprises so far this season. He’s completed 71.4% of his passes for 588 yards and two touchdowns, holding an impressive 111.1 passer rating. He also has three rushing touchdowns this year, showing the dual-threat ability that helped him have a strong season with the New York Giants in 2022.
Woodson thinks that, following Jones’ 316-yard day against the Denver Broncos in Week 2, his dynamic play will continue.
“It just seems like he’s comfortable in everything he’s doing — comfortable with the offense, comfortable getting up there to the line of scrimmage and seeing what the defense is presenting to him,” Woodson said. “And the thing that makes me confident that things will continue going his way is that he was going against the best defensive player in all of football last week in Patrick Surtain.
“I think about all the weapons he has around him as well — great offensive line, running game — but that trust in his receivers to go against the best in the game, has me excited.”
Sam Darnold
Darnold was arguably one of the best quarterbacks in 2024, but he ended his Vikings tenure with two duds against the Detroit Lions and in a playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Now with the Seahawks, Darnold is looking to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke. He’s had mixed results so far, throwing for just 150 yards in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1 before having a 295-yard, two-touchdown day against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2.
Brees believes that we’ll see more performances like we saw in Week 2 from Darnold.
“Kind of a fresh start on a team that’s really up and coming and probably looks at that division as one for the taking,” Brees said. “I think Sam Darnold continues on what he started last year, which is this resurgence into becoming a premier quarterback in this league.”
Geno Smith
Smith has arguably been the face of the recent movement of journeymen quarterbacks surging throughout the league. He won Comeback Player of the Year in 2022, but the Seahawks opted to move on from him this past offseason.
Smith has been up and down so far with the Raiders. He threw for 362 yards against the New England Patriots in his debut, but Week 2 was a different story, when Smith was picked off three interceptions in a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Woodson, a Raiders icon, likes Smith’s play, but he also had a message for him as he tries to bring Las Vegas back to the postseason.
“Try not to do too much,” Woodson said. “In that [Week 2] Game, ia memiliki beberapa kesempatan untuk menggunakan kakinya. Saya akan memberi tahu quarterback muda – dia sudah lama berada dalam permainan, jadi dia harus mengetahui hal ini – tetapi jika Anda tidak memilikinya terbuka di downfield, lepas landas dan dapatkan lima meter dengan kaki Anda. Permainan positif. Jadi, tekan sedikit kembali.
“Tidak ada yang salah dengan sedikit dink dan dunk sesekali. Jadi, tenanglah, ambil apa yang diberikan pertahanan dan berhenti memberikan bola kepada tim lain.”
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