Where does Baker Mayfield rank all-time among the Cleveland Browns quarterbacks?
By Chad Porto
The Cleveland Browns have ended the Baker Mayfield era after four years but where does he rank all time?
The Cleveland Browns have officially ended the Baker Mayfield era in Cleveland after just four years when they traded him to the Carolina Panthers for a conditional mid-to-late round draft pick. It was a sad ending for the former No.1 overall pick, who has seen the team drag his name through the mud countless times over the last half a year.
Was that deserved? No one can say for sure, as subterfuge is a prerequisite for NFL teams and players apparently. The truth doesn’t matter to either side, just perception. I don’t like perception, I like facts. So was Mayfield a bum who couldn’t hack in Cleveland? Far from it, actually.
Mayfield will go down as one of the franchises’ greatest quarterbacks, full stop. The only question is where does he fall on the list and how big is this list? Well, after crunching the numbers, I’ve found 11 players worth putting into the discussion of the greatest franchise quarterbacks ever based on performance, stats, and longevity.
No, this isn’t a list of NFL legends, but it’s the best the Browns have had since the creation of the team. Those 11 names in alphabetical order are;
- Derek Anderson
- Tim Couch
- Otto Graham
- Bernie Kosar
- Baker Mayfield
- Bill Nelsen
- Mike Phipps
- Milt Plum
- Frank Ryan
- Brian Sipe
- Vinny Testaverde
Over the course of this, we’re going to be assigning numerical values for every one of these Top 11 players. The top spot per cateogry gets 11 points, and every following spot gets one less point until the bottom, who will get one. There are six categories that are all stat-based. There is no opinion on assigning standings. These six categories represent the most influential stats that a quarterback can be judged on.
These are all stats, no personal opinion is infused into any of this. This will give us a fair, fact-based metric for where Baker Mayfield lists among the all-time greats.
It should be stated that all stats are just for that player’s tenure with the Cleveland Browns and not their careers outside of the city. Also, any Cleveland football stats from 1945 or earlier aren’t included, as that team, the Cleveland Rams, are now the Los Angeles Rams.