Late Blooming QBs -- Mayfield, Darnold, Daniel Jones, Mac Jones -- Impressing Throughout NFL

Four seasons after Baker Mayfield was the NFL's No. 1 overall selection in the 2018 draft, he was toiling on the scout team for the Carolina Panthers. And, no, he wasn't playing quarterback running the other team's plays against the Panthers defense, he was working as a defensive lineman to give the Carolina offensive line the right practice looks.

That's how far he'd fallen before he was cut by the Panthers, who gave up on him after they traded a fifth round pick to Cleveland, which had also given up on Mayfield.

Baker Mayfield Pays Dividends

Mayfield was on the scrap heap the following offseason when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers came calling with a chance. 

"I liked him when he came out in 2018 when I was with the Jets and think we can make it work with our coaches and our system in Tampa," Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles told OutKick in the spring of 2023.

The Bucs and Mayfield did indeed make it work. Mayfield has thrown 79 TD passes in 39 starts since he arrived in Tampa.

From scrap heap to top of the heap.

Sep 21, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) reacts after a ply against the New York Jets in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Some Young QBs Victims Of Circumstances

But Mayfield isn't alone. He is merely the poster boy for a growing group of quarterbacks that do not succeed early in their careers … but blossom later.

Mayfield is part of a cautionary tale warning NFL teams that maybe that quarterback you believed in and drafted shouldn't necessarily be discarded after two or three or perhaps even four years.

And it's a suggestion that perhaps teams should look at some quarterbacks that haven't made it elsewhere and judge that elsewhere's circumstances to decide if the quarterback failed the place or the place failed the quarterback.

Because not every prospect is a prodigy that becomes an instant star. And not every young quarterback gets slotted into a good situation early in his career.

Indianapolis Colts QB Daniel Jones throws a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders at Lucas Oil Stadium. (Photo Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images)

NFL Late Bloomers Playing Well

Sam Darnold in Seattle, Daniel Jones for the Colts, Mac Jones for the 49ers, Carson Wentz for the Vikings, and yes, Mayfield in Tampa are all playing well. We might also soon be adding Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence to the list because he just led a comeback win over the Chiefs and the Jaguars are 4-1. 

We know about some of the names on this list. 

Darnold was in year 7 before he threw 35 TD passes with some 4,300 yards and posted a 102.5 passer rating for the Vikings in 2024. This year, after the Seahawks gave him a big contract, his passer rating is at 114.8, and he's completing 73.1 percent of his passes.

Daniel Jones was released by the Giants last year because he was a disappointment to them. He's not a disappointment so far in Indianapolis, where he's completing 71.3 percent of his passes, which is stunning considering he's averaging 8.6 yards per attempt (third best in the league). 

Those two stats combined mean Jones is throwing deep and accurate.  

Then consider Mac Jones. It's been a ride.

Mac Jones A Success For Niners

He went from Pro Bowl selection as a rookie to an apparent regression and benching with the Patriots. Now he's a backup in San Francisco, and he just authored an improbable win playing with an injury-ravaged team against the Rams.

Jones has thrown 6 TD passes to 1 interception for the Niners, and although he's not likely to displace Brock Purdy there, he is definitely setting himself up to be someone's starter down the road.

That all assumes, of course, Jones can get on the right team and in the right system. Because that matters.

Jones regressed in New England when Bill Belichick named career defensive coordinator Matt Patricia as the offensive coordinator and career special teams coach Joe Judge as the quarterback coach. 

And we're shocked Jones didn't succeed?

We're shocked Lawrence didn't succeed immediately when Urban Meyer was his first head coach? Lawrence is playing under his third offensive system and so, yes, it's taken him time to figure it out.

Not Way NFL Used To Operate

And this is the part where we have to recall that teams demanding their quarterbacks produce immediately is a recent phenomenon caused by salary cap demands. It didn't used to be this way.

Steve Young got time to become good, so did Roger Staubach, Joe Theismann and others. It took Brett Favre, Drew Brees and Kurt Warner time to develop.

But the current NFL under its salary cap isn't built for patience. Teams draft quarterbacks and want instant gratification because those young players are under rookie contracts for four years, sometimes less, before a financial decision on them has to be made.

And that's why conversations about Bryce Young in Carolina, C.J. Stroud in Houston and Caleb Williams in Chicago so often demand a decision on players that are still not fully formed. All three are 23 years old.

Maybe it's premature to decide whether they're not good enough yet.