The comparisons between Cleveland's Baker Mayfield and former Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre are nothing new.
Cannon arm. Improvisational skills. Swag. Infectious style of play. Mayfield even reenacted Favre's "jorts picture" ahead of the 2018 NFL Draft.
So, it was almost too perfect that Mayfield's first defining moment with the Browns nearly mirrored Favre's legendary start in a Packers uniform. In fact, Mayfield's resurrection of the Browns in a 21-17 comeback victory against the New York Jets on Thursday came 26 years to the day after Favre broke through with Green Bay.
On Sept. 20, 1992, Favre's 35-yard TD pass to Kitrick Taylor capped a 24-23 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals and lifted a classic NFL franchise out of the doldrums and into contention. While the Browns and Mayfield have a long way to go to match those heights the Packers reached with Favre, Cleveland will take its first victory in 635 days and go from there.
The parallels between the moments are intriguing, to say the least.
MORE: 11 insane things I did because of Favre
Favre replaced Don Majkowski and led a 0-2 team to victory. The Packers had one 10-win season since 1972 up until that point and were considered the NFL's version of Siberia. Packers fans enjoyed the odd-couple dynamic between Favre and coach Mike Holmgren, and things got even better the following year when defensive end Reggie White arrived as the biggest free agency signing of all time.
Green Bay's Brett Favre, right, and Mike Holmgren, left, during the 24-23 victory against Cincinnati on Sept. 20, 1992. (Getty Images)
Fast forward 26 years. The Browns have one 10-win season since returning to the NFL in 1999. Starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor left in the second quarter Thursday with a concussion, and the New York Jets led 14-0. The Browns were in danger of falling to 0-2-1, which would have put even more heat on third-year coach Hue Jackson.
Mayfield, however, saved the day. He rallied Cleveland back by finishing 17 of 23 for 201 yards. He caught the game-tying two-point conversion. Carlos Hyde's one-yard TD run with about two minutes remaining wasn't quite the same as Favre-to-Taylor, but it was certainly a touchdown every Browns fan will remember for years to come — and not just because of the Bud Light fridges.
This was the night Mayfield spotted No. 3 pick Sam Darnold 14 points and still won. This was the night Cleveland may have found its franchise quarterback. The next logical step for Jackson is to name Mayfield the starter before Week 4 at Oakland. It's difficult not to get excited with how things could go from there.
Packers fans can relate. Favre wouldn't leave the starting lineup until he was replaced by Aaron Rodgers in 2008. Green Bay remains one of the most stable NFL franchises since 1992 because of their quarterback play.
There's a long way to go in Cleveland before that happens, but one win is a start. After all, Browns general manager John Dorsey was a scout with Green Bay under former Packers general manager Ron Wolf, who built that Super Bowl team around Favre and White. Why not follow the model?
Look at the first-round picks in the last two drafts. Myles Garrett, the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, is the cornerstone of the defense. Denzel Ward, another 2018 first-round pick, looks like a Pro Bowl player as a rookie. Mayfield is the alpha this franchise needed, and it's one that even people outside of Cleveland should enjoy watching.
When the Browns were out of football from 1996 to 1998 many of their fans took to Favre and the Packers. It was the next best thing. Mayfield, like Favre, will likely be a traditional and social media darling. We've been seeing that marketability since his days as the Heisman Trophy winner at Oklahoma.
Favre would enjoyed his most iconic moment on Jan. 26, 1997, when he ripped his helmet off in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans after throwing a touchdown on his first pass in the Packers' 35-21 win against New England in Super Bowl XXXI.
Could Mayfield really do that in five years? What would the comparisons look like then? It would be off the charts, that is for sure.
Just in case, save Feb. 4, 2024, on your calendar. After all, Super Bowl LVIII is in New Orleans.
