How many first-round quarterbacks have made it to their second contract after the NFL Draft?

CLEVELAND, Ohio — One of the key indicators to whether a team landed its franchise quarterback is whether that player made it to his second contract with that team.

The Browns faced that with Baker Mayfield, when they exercised his rookie contract in 2021 to a fifth year in 2022. It didn’t get that far, as the team traded him that summer to the Carolina Panthers before he could finish that extension in Cleveland amid the Deshaun Watson trade.

That all brings Cleveland back to this point: Sitting near the top of the draft with the No. 2 overall pick and contemplating whether it should spend that selection on another quarterback.

Coincidentally, the Browns added another quarterback this offseason still on his rookie deal from another team in Kenny Pickett. He is now on his third team in Cleveland after being traded by the Pittsburgh Steelers, shipped to Philadelphia and now back across the Pennsylvania mountains and past the state line to Ohio.

Pickett was the only quarterback taken in the first round of the 2022 draft. Nine more have been selected in the two drafts since then.

Prior to Pickett in 2022, every quarterback taken in the first round of an NFL Draft has reached that crossroad of completing his rookie contract. Only 10 of 25 quarterbacks drafted in the first round between 2015 and 2021 are still with their original team. Twelve reached a second contract with the teams that drafted them.

Here is a look at all 25:

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville No. 1 pick in 2021

Did he get a second contract? Yes

What happened? The Jaguars extended Lawrence’s rookie deal in 2024 and into 2030 after selecting him with the top pick in 2021 out of Clemson. He made the Pro Bowl in his second year. Jacksonville still has yet to put it all together around Lawrence, as the best it’s done is a 9-8 finish to that 2022 season with Lawrence’s peak performance as a pro.

Zach Wilson, New York Jets No. 2 pick in 2021

Did he get a second contract? No

What happened? Teams fell in love with Wilson during the draft process, coming out of BYU. He started 13 games as a rookie, but the experiment faded by Year 3 with the Jets. They signed Aaron Rodgers in 2023, but a ruptured Achilles tendon forced them to turn to Wilson for one more chance. Wilson is now in Miami, backing up Tua Tagovailoa.

Trey Lance, San Francisco No. 3 pick in 2021

Did he get a second contract? No

What happened? Lance never got a chance in San Francisco with Brock Purdy’s emergence, traded after two years to Dallas for a fourth-round pick. Lance backed up Dak Prescott for two seasons and signed this month with the Los Angeles Chargers to become Justin Herbert’s backup. The North Dakota State product has started only five games as a pro.

Justin Fields, Chicago No. 11 pick in 2021

Did he get a second contract? No

What happened? Well, Fields got a second contract. The Jets gave him a two-year, $40 million deal this offseason after Chicago traded him last year to Pittsburgh. Fields won four of the six games he started last season with the Steelers. He has been sacked 151 times in four seasons, including a league-high 55 times in 2022.

Mac Jones, New England No. 15 pick in 2021

Did he get a second contract? No

What happened? Coming out of Alabama, Jones was one of the last quarterbacks taken by Bill Belichick in New England after he wrote a Hall of Fame career with Tom Brady. Belichick and the Patriots took Bailey Zappe a year after Jones, but in the fourth round. However, Jones began with promise and made the Pro Bowl during a 10-win season as a rookie. He never maintained that potential and the Patriots traded him last year to Jacksonville. He is now in San Francisco.

Joe Burrow, Cincinnati No. 1 pick in 2020

Did he get a second contract? Yes

What happened? Burrow bounced around in college more than the pros, where he has lived up to the hype in Cincinnati. The Bengals reached a Super Bowl during his rookie contract and Burrow signed a five-year, $275 million extension in 2023. He led the league with 4,918 yards passing and 43 touchdowns last season.

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami No. 5 pick in 2020

Did he get a second contract? Yes

What happened? Concussions are the main concern with Tagovailoa, who has suffered three of them as a professional out of Alabama. He made the Pro Bowl in 2023, his fourth season with the Dolphins, who extended his rookie contract last year with another four-year deal worth more than $212 million.

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers No. 6 pick in 2020

Did he get a second contract? Yes

What happened? The Chargers extended Herbert in 2023 with a five-year, $262.5 million deal. He threw only three interceptions last season while leading the Chargers to the playoffs. They are on their fourth coach, though, since drafting Herbert.

Jordan Love, Green Bay No. 26 pick in 2020

Did he get a second contract? Yes

What happened? The Class of 2020 has turned out to be a boon for the teams that took quarterbacks in the first round, despite the challenges of maneuvering through the scouting process of social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.

Kyler Murray, Arizona No. 1 pick in 2019

Did he get a second contract? Yes

What happened? Two Pro Bowls after three years in Arizona led to the Cardinals giving Murray a five-year extension off his rookie deal. He is signed through 2028.

Daniel Jones, New York Giants No. 6 pick in 2019

Did he get a second contract? No

What happened? Jones is now in Indianapolis after six years in New York and part of last season in Minnesota. The Giants picked up the option on his rookie deal instead of retaining running back Saquon Barkley, who won Association Press Offensive Player of the Year last season while helping the Eagles to the Super Bowl.

Dwayne Haskins, Washington No. 15 pick in 2019

Did he get a second contract? No

What happened? Haskins died in 2022 after being struck by a vehicle while with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was in Florida, training with other Steelers quarterbacks at the time. Pittsburgh signed the former Ohio State quarterback after his first two seasons in Washington.

Baker Mayfield, Cleveland No. 1 pick in 2018

Did he get a second contract? No

What happened? Mayfield cashed in with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the Browns traded him in 2022 to Carolina. He also spent time in Los Angeles, starting in place of the injured Matthew Stafford for the Rams before finding a home in Tampa Bay. Mayfield is coming off back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons with the Bucs, who have him signed through 2026 on a three-year, $100 million deal.

Sam Darnold, New York Jets No. 3 pick in 2018

Did he get a second contract? No

What happened? A breakout season in 2024 with the Vikings netted Darnold a payday this offseason with the Seattle Seahawks, who signed him for three years and $100.5 million. Darnold spent his first three years with the Jets, who drafted him out of USC and traded him to Carolina in 2021 for three picks.

Josh Allen, Buffalo No. 7 pick in 2018

Did he get a second contract? Yes

What happened? If the Browns could have a do over of the 2018 draft, is there any doubts they take Allen out of Wyoming? He won the league MVP last season, while leading Buffalo to a 13-win regular season and the AFC title game. He has three Pro Bowl seasons under his belt and is now on his second contract, which is worth $330 million over six years.

Josh Rosen, Arizona No. 10 pick in 2018

Did he get a second contract? No

What happened? Rosen has been out of the league since 2023 and has not played since 2021, when he served as a backup in Atlanta. The Cardinals took him out of UCLA in 2018. He started 13 games and won three before landing in Miami for a second-round pick, which Arizona used on Mayfield graduate Andy Isabella. Even the Browns took a chance on Rosen in 2022.

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore No. 32 pick in 2018

Did he get a second contract? Yes

What happened? If not Josh Allen, then Lamar Jackson is the quarterback teams are kicking themselves for passing on in the first round of the 2018 draft. He’s a two-time MVP, three-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler, signed through 2027 on a five-year, $260 million deal.

Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago No. 2 pick in 2017

Did he get a second contract? No

What happened? Remember when the debate for the Browns came down to Garrett and Trubisky, the record-setting quarterback from Mentor? Trubisky enjoyed a Pro Bowl season in Year 2 with Chicago, but didn’t last beyond his rookie contract. He is in his second stint with Buffalo as Josh Allen’s backup.

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City No. 10 pick in 2017

Did he get a second contract? Yes

What happened? Two picks before the Browns could take him with their second pick of the 2017 draft, the Kansas City Chiefs snagged Mahomes from Texas Tech. All he’s done is won three Super Bowls and two league MVPs.

Deshaun Watson, Houston No. 12 pick in 2017

Did he get a second contract? Yes

What happened? Well, Watson wound up in Cleveland despite the Browns trading their 2017 pick — initially acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2016 draft-day trade for Carson Wentz —to Houston during their last long rebuild. Watson made three straight Pro Bowls in Houston. He signed a four-year, $156 million extension off his rookie deal in 2020.

Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams No. 1 pick in 2016

Did he get a second contract? Yes

What happened? Goff’s second contract comes with an asterisk. The Rams drafted him, but they also traded him to Detroit for Matthew Stafford. No other time in the common draft era have two former No. 1 picks been traded for each other, and Goff should be considered a successful pick because of it. He netted the Rams a quarterback in Stafford, who got them to the Super Bowl, and Goff has earned four Pro Bowl nods — two with Detroit, while leading the Lions into contention. Los Angeles initially re-signed Goff to his extension in 2019, following his second Pro Bowl with the Rams.

Carson Wentz, Philadelphia No. 2 pick in 2016

Did he get a second contract? Yes

What happened? There must be something about this 2016 class, as Goff and Wentz are the only two quarterbacks in the last decade from the first round to receive a second contract and then be traded. That happened to Wentz two years after the Eagles extended him on a four-year deal, which followed a rookie deal in which he made the Pro Bowl in Year 2. Philadelphia won the Super Bowl, but with Nick Foles as the starting quarterback. The Eagles wound up trading Wentz on his second contract to Indianapolis for picks. One turned into receiver DeVonta Smith. Wentz is a free agent after spending last season in Kansas City.

Paxton Lynch, Denver No. 26 pick in 2016

Did he get a second contract? No

What happened? Lynch lasted two seasons in Denver and started four games. His lone win came as a rookie against Jacksonville.

Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay No. 1 pick in 2015

Did he get a second contract? No

What happened? While Tampa Bay exercised the extension on his rookie deal, the contract ended there. Winston spent four years in New Orleans and last season in Cleveland before signing in March with the New York Giants.

Marcus Mariota, Tennessee No. 2 pick in 2015

Did he get a second contract? No

What happened? Like the Buccaneers with Winston, the Titans exercised their club option with Mariota to keep him for a fifth season. It didn’t last past that, either, as he landed in Oakland and spent two seasons with the Raiders. Mariota is now with Washington, his fifth team in 11 years. That’s just one fewer than Winston.