Jon Gruden believes Baker Mayfield has the ‘it’ factor

NFL: Cleveland Browns at New Orleans Saints

Browns rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield is already proving worthy of the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft.

Mayfield, after all, entered the team’s Week 3 game against the Jets just before halftime, and led the Browns to a comeback victory, breaking the streak of 635 days without a win. That alone projects well for both his and the Browns’ future.

He’ll be making his first career NFL start on Sunday, when the Browns travel to Oakland for a showdown with the winless Raiders. A win would already give them more victories than they’ve earned in a season since 2015. Mayfield appears to provide the team with both optimism and hope, something the franchise has lacked for a long time. Raiders head coach Jon Gruden, who knows a thing or two about scouting quarterbacks, recently shared what he believes Mayfield brings to the table.

“The guy’s got the ‘it’ factor, the charisma, the ability to be great,” Gruden told reporters on Wednesday, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

And while Gruden may be fond of Mayfield, he didn’t appear to be a fan of the Browns uniforms, saying that he liked the old ones better (via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal).

As it relates to what he said about Mayfield, though, that’s high praise from the Raiders head coach. And Gruden appears to be correct, as Mayfield has a high ceiling — drawing comparisons to both Drew Brees and Brett Favre. He’s already provided a spark to an offense that was in desperate need of one, with his teammates feeding off his strong play under center.

Arrow to top