Baker Mayfield believed Jets wanted to draft him, according to agent
Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield runs a drill during the NFL football scouting combine, Saturday, March 3, 2018, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings) Credit: AP / Darron Cummings
Baker Mayfield’s agent said on a podcast that the Jets wanted to select the Oklahoma quarterback with the No. 3 pick in last week’s NFL Draft.
Jack Mills, who is Mayfield’s agent, also revealed that the Patriots were interested in trading up to No. 2 to select Mayfield if he were available. Mills made his comments on “The Business of Sports with Andrew Brandt” podcast.
Mayfield ended up being the No. 1 overall selection by the Browns. The Giants took Penn State running back Saquon Barkley with the No. 2 pick and the Jets selected USC quarterback Sam Darnold at No. 3.
According to Mills, Mayfield told him that he believed the Jets wanted to draft him.
“When he visited the Jets, they pretty much said ‘you’re our guy if you’re there,’” Mills said.
When asked by Brandt if they were expecting the Jets to take Mayfield at No. 3, Mills said, “We knew that was the bottom line.”
Mills said the Browns “never did tip their hand” about wanting to take Mayfield at No. 1.
“They didn’t say you’re our guy,” Mills said. “I don’t know what they said. They liked him and [Browns general manager John] Dorsey never contacted us.”
Giants general manager Dave Gettleman appeared on WFAN on Monday afternoon with Chris Carlin, Maggie Gray and Bart Scott and said he got a “very reasonable offer” for the No. 2 pick. According to Mills, the Patriots might have been the team making that offer.
“We had another team which is going to surprise you,” Mills said. “Another team had said, ‘You may get a big surprise on draft day, at No. 2, if he’s available.’ And it was the Patriots. They had 23 and they had 31 and they had two seconds. We thought, ‘That’s going to be a heck of a move, to get up that high from where they are.’ And of course he wasn’t available so we never knew if that was a reality or not.”
Mills said Mayfield visited with the Giants before the draft, but they didn’t think the Giants were going to take a quarterback with the No. 2 pick and thought the Giants would trade down.
“We kept hearing that Buffalo was going to try to trade into the pick,” Mills said.
The Bills did trade into the top 10, getting the Buccaneers’ No. 7 pick and using it to take Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen.
