Baker Mayfield clarifies his Daniel Jones comments: ‘This is not what I said’

Baker Mayfield was brutally honest in a recent assessment of the New York Giants’ decision to take a former Duke quarterback with a 17-19 collegiate record at No. 4 overall in the 2019 draft.

“I cannot believe the Giants took Daniel Jones,” Mayfield volunteered, apparently unprompted, while watching a “SportsCenter” segment on the team and being interviewed by GQ for an article that was published online Tuesday.

“Blows my mind.”

Mayfield isn’t the only person to have expressed that sentiment, although he may be the only NFL quarterback to have done so publicly. He was drafted No. 1 overall by the Cleveland Browns last year after going 39-9 and winning a Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma. Apparently all quarterbacks selected with a high draft pick should be held to such standards.

“Some people overthink it,” Mayfield said. “That’s where people go wrong. They forget you’ve got to win.”

He added: “Either you have a history of winning and being that guy for your team or you don’t.”

Later on Tuesday, Mayfield clarified his comments in the comment section of a Barstool Sports Instagram post on the matter.

“This is not what I said….just so we’re clear,” Mayfield wrote. “I also said I was surprised I got drafted number one. Then was talking about the flaws in evaluating QB’s. Where I brought up winning being important. Reporters and media will do anything to come up with a click bait story. Heard nothing but good things and wish nothing but the best for Daniel.”

Incidentally, Jones has looked good for the Giants through two preseason games, going 16 of 19 for 228 yards and two touchdowns with a 151.8 quarterback rating. Mayfield’s comments may have come from earlier in the summer.

Asked about Mayfield’s comments Tuesday, Jones said he’s “got a lot to focus on here” with the Giants.

“I think he’s a great player,” Jones said of Mayfield. “He can throw it and I enjoy watching him play.”

Also during the GQ interview, Mayfield took back his apology from two years ago for attempting to plant an Oklahoma flag in an Ohio State logo in the middle of the field following a Sooners victory.

He was asked to rate on a scale from 1 to 10 how sorry he really was at the time.

“Zero,” he said without hesitation.

Mayfield said it was “just jaw-dropping” that the “higher-ups” at Oklahoma wanted him to issue the apology.

“I had done so much and worked so hard to play for that school, I was just kinda almost embarrassed for them to tell me to apologize,” he said.

Mayfield added that he realizes that this revelation “might hurt some Ohio fans’ feelings.” But these days, Mayfield is a hero in the state after leading the Browns, who had won just one game during the previous two seasons, to seven victories as a rookie last season.

“I think we’re all good now,” he said.