You know you’ve got something special when people start throwing “top-eight quarterback” in your direction. That’s Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Jalen Hurts territory. But now? Meghan Payton says Baker Mayfield belongs in that conversation. And let’s be real—when your dad is Sean Payton, people listen. Before her FanDuel take, no one had expected Mayfield to break into the NFL’s elite. Solid year in Tampa? Sure. But ahead of Jalen Hurts, who just led the Eagles to a Super Bowl? It sparks a whole different debate.
In a FanDuel TV segment posted on Instagram, sports analyst and Sean Pyton’s daughter, Meghan Payton, articulated numerous reasons why she supports her views. Aware of the skepticism she may face for her views, she continues, “And I’m sure there’s a lot of people questioning why I’m putting Baker Mayfield as a top-eight quarterback in the NFL. I think he is.”
Mayfield turned a rough career path into a solid playoff run with the Bucs. She adds, “I think unfortunately for Baker, the situation hasn’t been good for him. He jumped around from a lot of like really bad teams.” But, Payton believes that now “he’s the franchise guy for the Bucs.”
Meghan Payton credited Liam Coen (Bucs’ OC) for bringing out the best in Mayfield, while claiming that “he’s one of the top deep ball throwers in the NFL.” Considering him as one of the necessary offensive weapons in Tampa Bay, she is adamant about her ranking. “I love Baker and I will die on the hill that right now Baker is a top-eight quarterback,” she claimed.
In the 2024 season, Mayfield set his career highs in completions (407), passing yards (4,500), touchdowns (41), and completion percentage (71.4%). While he had a solid season, considering him a top-eight over a Super Bowl-winning QB, Jalen Hurts, is tough to defend.
Payton didn’t even place Hurts in the top 4, despite achieving phenomenal statistics with the Philadelphia Eagles. Given how the Eagles cooked the Broncos last season, the ranking isn’t just bold, it’s borderline disrespectful.
Jalen Hurts and Co. taught Broncos a Super Bowl lesson
Learning from the Eagles, Sean Payton also has similar capabilities to make the Broncos win the Super Bowl. Taking notes from the Eagles, the Broncos can learn from their formula to succeed. The first lesson is that your QB is the system.
If Payton wants a contender, he needs to stop fitting QBs into a system. Instead, he needs to start fitting the system to his QB. Jalen Hurts didn’t force himself into an offense—Philly built one around him. His dual-threat ability was the foundation for the team, allowing him to excel as both a passer and a runner. Jalen Hurts was never even considered a franchise quarterback. Critics took to questioning his passing ability early on, but he thrived.
Secondly, the Eagles dominate where it matters, i.e., in the trenches. With Lane Johnson on one side, and a strong pass rush on the other, they dictated the games. But the Broncos need to fix their protection issues and a defense to achieve a similar vision.
Thirdly, the Broncos need to learn how to adapt. Sirianni sought to evolve, pushing the Eagles to shift their approach every year. Payton’s challenge isn’t just X’s and O’s, he needs to adopt a similar mentality to stay ahead of the curve. Lastly, culture isn’t just a buzzword, it’s the driving engine. The Eagles hold each other accountable, and the leadership in that locker room is real, which inadvertently shows on the field. Denver needs a similar attitude to polish itself. If Payton can establish that, it can make the Broncos real contenders for the Super Bowl.
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