Randy Hedberg

Comparing Hedberg and Mayfield is like comparing a practice squad camp arm to a franchise cornerstone. Mayfield's already won playoff games and led Tampa to relevance; Hedberg threw for 244 yards in 1977 with a brutal 27.8% completion rate. One's building a legacy, the other's a historical footnote—though Hedberg did rack up serious college numbers at NDSU before his NFL cup of coffee went cold.

Nope, Randy Hedberg's not in Canton, and his one-season Tampa Bay audition explains why. He completed just 25 of 90 passes with zero touchdowns. That's not Hall of Fame material—that's a cautionary tale about the gap between college dominance and NFL execution, even if his NDSU records were legit.

The search results don't reveal Hedberg's current 2026 activities in broadcasting, business, or charity work. However, he's spent significant time in collegiate coaching—18 years as a head coach with a 92-74-2 record—so he's remained embedded in football rather than disappearing entirely, which speaks to genuine passion for the game beyond his playing days.

Modern passing rules would've helped Hedberg's completion percentage, sure, but not enough to salvage a 27.8% clip. Today's softer defenses and receiver-friendly penalties favor guys with arm talent and decision-making. Hedberg's problem wasn't era—it was execution. Even with a cupcake rulebook, you can't complete passes if you can't find receivers.

Williams absolutely dwarfs Hedberg in the quarterback pecking order. Williams posted a 38.71 rating versus Hedberg's 5.32—that's not even close. Doug actually won games and earned respect; Hedberg was a placeholder in Tampa's early chaos. Different eras, sure, but Williams belongs in any Buccaneers QB conversation while Hedberg's basically trivia.