As colleague Dan Hanzus pointed out as far back as 2016, virtually every offseason produces a trope storyline where a young quarterback is inevitably compared to Hall of Famer Brett Favre.
NFL fans were treated to numerous people pointing out similarities between Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Favre throughout the 2018 summer months, which included commentary from former Chiefs outside linebacker Tamba Hali.
Thursday morning, however, produced perhaps the first time in recent memory that an offseason trope carried beyond the first quarter of the regular season, courtesy of Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale.
But instead of just invoking Favre's name when discussing Baker Mayfield's skillset, Martindale combined Favre with Hall of Famer John Elway.
Comparisons are fun, of course, and Mahomes and the Browns rookie QB have taken the league by storm since the start of the regular season. But with comparisons and the hype are lofty expectations.
Mahomes has done his part to justify his parallels to Favre by showcasing athleticism and arm strength through four games, which included a very Favre-like left-handed throw in Week 4.
Mayfield produced a gritty comeback performance with head-turning throws in Week 3 before taking over the starting job from Tyrod Taylor.
Still, an argument exists whether it is fair to place comparisons on young quarterbacks to Hall of Fame signal-callers, especially when considering Mahomes and Mayfield don't even have a full regular season under their belts.
Whether Mayfield eventually becomes a combination of Favre and Elway will be up to history to decide.
