The 2018 NFL quarterback draft class has completed their fifth year in the league.
Four out of the five players that were taken in the first round of that draft face uncertain futures.
Only Josh Allen, the seventh overall pick of the Buffalo Bills, has signed a contract extension to stay with his drafted team.
His 6-year $258 million dollar deal keeps him with the Bills through the 2028 season.
Conversely, the other four quarterbacks drafted around Allen could be testing the free-agent market in the 2023 off-season.
Excluding Allen, let us revisit the 2018 class in the order they were drafted and see what could happen with each of their careers going forward.
1. Baker Mayfield, No. 1 Overall Pick
The Cleveland Browns selected Baker Mayfield as the first overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Mayfield spent four seasons with the Browns and experienced both highs and lows with the team.
The high point was leading the team to the 2020 playoffs, but the low point was the 2022 offseason when the team dealt him to Carolina after acquiring Deshaun Watson.
Mayfield ended the season with the Los Angeles Rams in relief of an injured Matthew Stafford.
His days as a starter could be behind him so Mayfield could find himself in a QB2 situation potentially back in Los Angeles or elsewhere.
2. Sam Darnold, No. 3 Overall Pick
Sam Darnold was drafted by the New York Jets with the third overall pick.
Darnold spent three seasons with the Jets before being traded to the Carolina Panthers.
He lost and ultimately regained the starting job in 2022 from Baker Mayfield so his future is anything but a given as a QB1 in Carolina or anywhere else at this point.
3. Josh Rosen, No. 10 Overall Pick
Josh Rosen has been on the roster of seven NFL teams in five seasons.
He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals but also was a member of the Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (practice squad), San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns (practice squad), and Minnesota Vikings (practice squad).
Rosen is either destined to be a practice squad player or be out of football altogether going forward.
4. Lamar Jackson, No. 32 Overall Pick
The final pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Lamar Jackson, has been entrenched in Baltimore for five seasons.
The 2019 NFL MVP has made a career out of using his legs and his arm to give the Baltimore Ravens success.
Jackson has dealt with his fair share of injuries in his career.
The Ravens and Jackson, who acted as his own agent, did have contract extension talks, but many believe Deshaun Watson’s contract loaded with guaranteed money from the Cleveland Browns, the Ravens’ AFC North competitor, tipped the scale on what Jackson is looking for.
And the Ravens were not interested in paying Jackson that type of guaranteed money.
Jackson could get the franchise tag designation from the Ravens for 2023 which would essentially kick the can down the road for another year before Jackson gets paid on a long-term deal with the Ravens or another team.
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