Who doesn’t love a good comeback story? In back-to-back years, the NFL has seen discarded quarterbacks like Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold regain their standing in the league. In 2024, both were fringe MVP candidates and could command major salaries next season.
The two have transformed remarkably after their time in the league, which felt like an afterthought. But is there a possibility for a third potential story? One analyst doesn’t only believe, but he also has a truly shocking name in mind.
Who Will Be 2025’s Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold?
The New York Jets have been one of the most downtrodden franchises in recent memory. Over the last decade, none of their quarterback or teams have panned out, leading to an era of mediocrity.
Some of that might have been the names, but as Darnold proved this year with the Minnesota Vikings, some of the problems were situational. Under a stable head coach and a strong roster, Darnold finished fifth in the league in passing yards and touchdowns at 4,319 and 35, respectively.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated believes it’s another former Jet’s turn to rewrite the perception around him. “Teams will sniff around for the next version of Mayfield in 2023 or Darnold last year, so I’ll give you Denver’s Zach Wilson.”
There is a ton of optimism surrounding Wilson coming out of the Broncos camp. “A year under Sean Payton did him a lot of good, and the staff there really thinks, in the right situation, he could have a big bounceback year in ’25.”
And Breer even has the recipe for success in mind. “His best bet might be to find a team with an iffy starter.” A former second-overall pick, Wilson’s play was downright terrible in his three seasons as the Jets starting quarterback.
Never totaling more than 2,334 yards, he has a career touchdown-to-interception ratio of 23 to 25 for his career. Simultaneously, his career passer rating of 73.2 would rank among the worst of all-time, and through 34 games in his career, Wilson has looked far from an NFL starter.
But a similar notion was prevalent about Darnold before he joined the Vikings. With their careers mirroring each other slightly, there is always the chance that the BYU product just needs the right pieces around him.
However, given his history in the league, it’ll be hard to find any team willing to give the 25-year-old the reins of their offense.