We’ve seen a lot of late bloomers in the National Football League here lately, especially at the quarterback position. After both of them endured a rather abysmal start to their respective careers, Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield are looking like two of the most premiere passers in all of football, and now that he’s escaped the clutches of New York City, even Daniel Jones is beginning to garner some much deserved hype.
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Suffice to say, folks are getting plenty of reminders as to why you should remain patient when evaluating a signal caller, and according to Cam Newton, that same grace should be extended towards the San Francisco 49ers backup QB, Mac Jones, moving forward. “Day one, when Mac came in,” Newton prefaced as he reflected back on their time together with the New England Patriots, “He was definitely the quiet type, chill.”
Typically, QB1s tend to be a bit more vocal, as they are often expected to be at the forefront of the locker room. But Newton suggests that Jones’ quiet demeanor and presence should have never been a concern, as he, much like several other quarterbacks, eventually grew into that leadership position.
“Playing quarterback, or any type of leadership position, you have to have your own type of flair doing it. You see a guy like Matthew Stafford, right? He’s not a ‘rah rah’ type of guy… That doesn’t mean that he’s not a good leader. You see a guy like Jared Goff. I look on TV and see the Detroit Lions, he’s got a captain’s patch. A guy like Drew Brees, who grew into a more vocal leader as his career took place. The same thing goes for a guy like Mac Jones.”
Newton then likened Jones’ journey to that of the aforementioned Darnold and Mayfield, how they were essentially forced into being journeymen right up until they were finally given an opportunity to prove themselves somewhere, and that once they did, they were able to do so emphatically and never looked back. “We’ve seen this with Baker Mayfield. We’ve seen this with Sam Darnold. We’re now seeing it with Daniel Jones,” Cam said. Of course, that’s also meant that their teams have gotten some rather high-end production at a bit of a discounted price.
The Buccaneers were able to get 4,500 passing yards and 41 touchdowns out of Mayfield last season after signing him to a three-year, $100-million deal. Darnold, who currently ranks seventh in passing yards and is leading the league in yards per completion, essentially received the exact same contract from the Seattle Seahawks this past off season.
Of course, Jones’ two-year, $8.4-million deal pales in comparison to theirs, but given his improved rate of play and the fact that he’s boasting a 5-2 record on the year, it may not be long before he receives a similar amount of compensation. Suffice to say, don’t be so quick to write off that next rookie quarterback, as he may just end up throwing for four passing touchdowns against your favorite team a few seasons later.
