CLEVELAND — Baker Mayfield has never been one to bite his tongue.
So perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise that when the Cleveland Browns quarterback was profiled by GQ, the piece managed to produce a few headlines.
While most of the profile, written by Clay Skipper, focuses on the lofty expectations Mayfield and the Browns are facing this season, the most talked-about line from the article has come as the result of a sideswipe taken at New York Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones.
When the Giants selected Jones with the No. 6 pick in April's NFL Draft, it caught many off-guard. And that group apparently included Mayfield, who told Skipper he was stunned that the Giants picked the Duke product as high as they did.
“I cannot believe the Giants took Daniel Jones,” Mayfield said, upon catching a SportsCenter segment about the Giants on TV. “Blows my mind.”
Asked why so many teams have difficulties predicting what makes quarterbacks successful in the NFL, the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner replied: “Some people overthink it. That's where people go wrong. They forget you've gotta win.”
Perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise that Mayfield thinks that way; in the four seasons that comprised his college career -- one at Texas Tech, three at Oklahoma -- the former walk-on compiled a 38-11 record as a starting quarterback.
Jones, meanwhile, was less successful in his three seasons as a starter in Durham, amassing a 17-19 record as the Blue Devils' starter.
Nevertheless, the Giants made Jones the second quarterback selected in the 2019 NFL Draft, putting him in a position to be the eventual successor to 2-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning. Mayfield -- like many -- was obviously surprised by the decision, although it's worth noting this isn't the first time he's taken a shot at the Giants this offseason.
“He’s here to work, and he wants to be surrounded by people who love him and support him and allow him to be himself,” Mayfield told ESPN The Magazine's Mina Kimes of former Giants and current Browns receiver Odell Beckham Jr. “He’s here to play in front of fans who actually care, who will actually show up to every game and pack the stadium and love him for who he is.”