Joe Flacco or Baker Mayfield: Who is the true Comeback Player of the Year?

Flacco has kept the Browns playoff hopes alive and, more importantly, has shown that his age is just a number.

Joe Flacco or Baker Mayfield: Who is the true Comeback Player of the Year?

Joe Flacco and Baker Mayfield (Via Open Source/X)

This year, the race for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award is nearly as competitive as the race for the MVP Award. The iconic award was first given from 1963 to 1966 and then not awarded later until the 1998 season, is given to players who have overcome adversity and made an impressive comeback by playing at a high level of performance consistently. Last season, Geno Smith of the Seattle Seahawks was honored with the AP Comeback Player of the Year.

This season, for the most part, fans are convinced that Damar Hamlin, the Safety from the Buffalo Bills, is a lock to win the award. But two other contenders have proven that they are significantly better than him and are more consistent. They are Baker Mayfield and Joe Flacco, the quarterbacks for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Cleveland Browns, respectively.

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Let’s look at which of them has made a better resurgence this season.

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Baker Mayfield, the first pick in the 2018 NFL Draft had a tough couple of seasons when he entered the league, he was poised to be the savior of the Browns, the quarterback who would take the team out of its misery, however, that turned out to be far from the truth. After making just one playoff run in 2021, the Cleveland Browns decided to move on from him. He was traded to the Carolina Panthers and was traded to the Los Angeles Rams halfway through the season. He then ended up on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Entering the season, there were no hopes or expectations from him. He was written off by fans and critics who had a field day saying “I told you so” when he was unable to live up to the hype created around him. Fast forward to just two weeks before the conclusion of the 2023 NFL regular season, Baker Mayfield has led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to an 8-7 record making them the best team in the NFC South and is having his best year since 2019.

Baker Mayfield has started in all games, thrown for 3,598 yards, 26 touchdowns (tied for sixth-best in the NFL), 8 interceptions, and a QBR of 56.9. He has truly made a resurgence in Tampa Bay. His biggest flaw was that he was not consistent, but this year he has shut the door on that narrative by proving that he can be consistent. He has not left a single opportunity for critics to doubt him or call him out on anything this season, and that is what makes him a solid candidate to win Comeback Player of the Year.

Joe Flacco has solidified his name as a strong contender for CPOTY

While Mayfield has proven that he can have more touchdowns than commercials, let’s not overlook Joe Flacco. The 38-year-old quarterback has barged his way into the CPOTY award conversation late in the season. The backup QB was thrust into action after Deshaun Watson sustained a season-ending shoulder injury.

In his 4 starts, the quarterback has led the team to a record of 3-1 and has thrown for 1,307 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. Flacco has had 3-straight 300+ yard games and has become a bigger figure than Deshaun Watson in Cleveland.

Joe Flacco
Joe Flacco (via Imago)

He kept the Browns playoff hopes alive and, more importantly, has shown that his age is just a number. Over the years, Flacco began to get overlooked after his 11-year tenure as the franchise quarterback of the Ravens. He was replaced by a rookie Lamar Jackson and since then, Flacco never found a team that he could fit in as he had unsuccessful runs with the Denver Broncos and the New York Jets before signing with the Browns as a backup this year.

He was unsigned until the 20th of November, but when you watch him play, Flacco makes it seem as though he is well-versed with the entire Browns offensive playbook. He is averaging 236 yards per game.

With a story like this, he is an undeniable dark horse candidate in the Comeback Player of the Year race. He has brought in a renewed sense of enthusiasm within the Browns fan base and the locker room. Even when Deshaun Watson was starting for the team, the fans never displayed this kind of excitement. The Cleveland Browns went from hoping to make the playoffs to hoping to make a Super Bowl run, all thanks to Joe Flacco.

What do the oddsmakers say? Well, Damar Hamlin is the undeniable favorite to win the Award owing to his on-field collapse last season and his return to the field in just a matter of months. Joe Flacco now has +500 odds as per Fox Sports beating Baker Mayfield who has +850 odds to win the award. Gambling laws in Florida may come in handy for the local punters to make the most of these odds.

Damar Hamlin attends Buffalo Bills training camp
Damar Hamlin attends Buffalo Bills training camp (Image via Sky Sports)

Should Damar Hamlin get the Comeback Player of the Year Award? It’s not that complicated, the numbers alone would say not. He has played 5 games this season and has had 2 solo tackles. Apart from that, he does not have much to show for it, but his injury was scary. He went through a horrific cardiac arrest on the field and had his heart stop for a moment. To come back from that and play is significant and cannot be overlooked.

But in all honesty, even if he does get the award, it will always have an asterisk next to it. Some candidates are more deserving of it and their journey must be respected while appreciating what they have managed to achieve this season.

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