Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott, and the NFL players facing a make-or-break year

Exiled from Cleveland, kicked out of Carolina, and left on the scrap heap after one good game with the Los Angeles Rams. Baker Mayfield found a new NFL home this offseason in Tampa Bay, where he’s entrenched in a quarterback battle with Kyle Trask. Mayfield, a former No. 1 overall pick, is locked in a battle for the starter’s role with a late second-round QB.

Nothing against Trask, and that doesn’t mean he won’t have a promising career, but it shows just how far the mighty Mayfield has fallen over the past couple of years. Either way, you get the feeling Baker is done as a perennial starter in this league. Even if he beats out Trask to start the season, you know it’s likely only a matter of time before he’s replaced midway through the year.

Everything is riding on Jordan Love’s success or failure for Green Bay in 2023. It’s similar to the situation they found themselves in 15 years ago when the team’s front office finally decided it was time to push Brett Favre out the door. Now the Packers have moved on from another Hall of Famer in Aaron Rodgers, and Love is next in line to continue that Green Bay tradition at quarterback.

Well, that’s what the front office is hoping for. A seamless transition from one QB to another once the games start counting. Love has to come out the gates smoking and slinging that ball accurately when called upon. There isn’t going to be much of a grace period for him to get his feet under him, so a rough start could be detrimental to Love’s future. Green Bay only won six games in Rodgers’ first year as a starter in ‘08, but he played well enough, passing for over 4,000 yards and 28 touchdowns. The challenge is laid out for Love; now he’s got to beat it.

Nobody should be happier about the start of the 2023 season than Russell Wilson. Last year was so bad that many people are questioning his Hall of Fame status after one lousy campaign. To be fair, it was pretty damn horrific. Letting Russ “cook” without supervision clearly wasn’t the best recipe for success in Denver. Lucky for Wilson, the Broncos bagged the hottest coach on the market in Sean Payton. Even if Wilson doesn’t return to what he once was in Seattle, it can’t get much worse than his first year in Denver. Can it?

Everyone is expecting a significant progression out of Justin Fields in year three. Chicago has built up the offense around him, and it’s do-or-die time for the former Ohio State standout. Fields improved in completion percentage, yards per attempt, passer rating, and QBR in his second year. He must take that next leap this season by passing more effectively and leading the Bears to a few more wins.

Deshaun Watson only played six games in 2022 after missing a year and a half from football due to his legal issues off the field. After returning to the league and debuting in Cleveland, Watson looked like a shell of himself but did go 3-3 as the starter for the Browns. Cleveland is seen as a team that just needs a QB capable of carrying the offense, and Watson was signed to be that guy. Now he’s got 230 million reasons to prove Jimmy Haslam made the right move in trading for him while facing numerous sexual assault allegations and civil cases.

This is about proving the doubters wrong and making everyone who didn’t think Lamar Jackson was worth a huge payday eat their words. Jackson’s main issue over the past couple of years has been his availability. He’s played in only 24 games over the last two seasons. Baltimore finally gave Jackson more weapons on offense which should take some of the load off his shoulders. Now it’s up to him to get it done and navigate the Ravens through a tough AFC.

The bar has officially been lowered for Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys. No longer are we asking for a return to the Super Bowl. We want to see Prescott lead ‘em to an NFC championship game. They don’t even have to win it; just get there. That’s all we’re asking from Dak.

It’s year eight for Prescott, and he’s got twice as many playoff losses (2-4 postseason record) as wins. If he can cut down on the mistakes, most notably the interceptions, then Dallas has a chance to compete for real. But Dak’s got to get it done in the playoffs. It really is that simple.

For Tua Tagovailoa, it’s not make or break in the same manner as most of these other players. Tua is more about health and whether he’ll be protected and healthy enough to stay on the field all season. Another concussion, and that could be all for his career. So, Tua’s make-or-break is on himself and the team, potentially protecting him from himself as they failed to do more than once last year.

Jonathan Taylor initially wanted to get paid by the Indianapolis Colts, but now he simply wants out of the organization. Taylor is a holdout but technically listed as an injured player on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. The more time he misses due to injury or holdout status, the less chance Taylor has of being traded or paid what he feels he’s earned. We’ve all offseason how running backs continue to get the shaft by front offices around the league. Another big year is imperative for Taylor if he wants anywhere close to the big payday he desires.

This could be all she wrote for Kyler Murray as QB1 for the Arizona Cardinals. After winning eight, then nine games in back-to-back years and making his first postseason appearance in ‘21, the ‘22 campaign was a huge letdown for Murray. Last year Murray took a step back in his career progression, playing in just 11 games due to injury and winning only three.

After an offseason of questions about his attitude and maturity, Murray didn’t prove too many people wrong with his play last season. Now there are rumors about the Cardinals potentially shipping him out regardless of the cap hit next season. Murray needs a big bounce back, and he’ll have to do it without his former safety blanket, DeAndre Hopkins. Good luck with that.