Every Cleveland Browns starting quarterback since 1999 ranked

An Oklahoma gunslinger

There’s not even a debate, so sit down.

1. Baker Mayfield (29)

There are going to be some who disagree. Those are people who aren’t paying attention. Yes, in the grand scheme of the last 21 years, of course, the bar is so freaking low that he’s number one. It’s been really really bad to see just how poorly most of the other 29 starters played, but as bad as they were, Mayfield has been that good.

Baker Mayfield isn’t just the best quarterback the Browns have had since 1999, he’s arguably the best quarterback they’ve had since Brian Sipe. Dating back to the 1979 and 1980 seasons, the only player to throw for 20 touchdowns in back-to-back seasons has been Mayfield.

He had a down year in 2019 but that’s because the Browns had a really bad head coach and an even worse general manager in John Dorsey. Dorsey shook up the team between the 2018 and 2019 seasons, expecting to somehow destroy a team’s chemistry and just be fine because they got an injury-plagued diva in return.

Now there is talk about Mayfield being benched for a career journeyman, which is laughable and insulting. There have been multiple examples in the last 21 years of the Browns playing hot potato with the position and it absolutely failing. Case Keenum is not a starting quarterback, and to even say he could replace Mayfield is laughable.

Since 1974, Mayfield has more wins in his first two seasons as a Cleveland Brown quarterback (12) than anyone not named Derrek Anderson (13) or Bernie Kozar (16). Mayfield is already 8th all-time in Cleveland Browns’ history for touchdowns thrown and by the end of next year should be 5th. By his 30th birthday, he could be number two all time, assuming he stays healthy.

Mayfield’s “TERRIBLE YEAR” that everyone keeps screeching about is still better statistically than every other Browns’ quarterback in the last 21 years besides Anderson’s 2007 season. Give the man his due, he’s really been that good.