FLORHAM PARK, NJ – The New York Jets, who once considered quarterback Sam Darnold an untouchable asset, are open to hearing commercial offers.
“I will take the call if it is made,” General Manager Joe Douglas said on Wednesday in a video conference with reporters, confirming previous reports that the Jets are willing to respond to investigations.
The Jets are facing an important quarterback decision: stay with Darnold, choose a replacement for the second overall choice or perhaps chase Houston Texans star Deshaun Watson, if he is available – a potential scenario that Douglas downplayed.
Douglas said he is in no hurry to make a quarterback decision, but there is an urgent deadline regarding the safety of Marcus Maye, a pending free agent whose agent attacked the Jets on Tuesday night on social media. GM rejected the criticism, saying the goal is to sign a long-term contract with Maye. Otherwise, they could use the franchise tag until next Tuesday’s deadline.
The quarterback’s drama remains the headline, especially in light of Darnold’s struggles.
In the 2019 negotiation deadline, Douglas said he would hear offers from all players except a quarterback in the franchise – and placed Darnold in that category. Clearly, that position has changed. Since the end of the season, the organization has remained evasive towards Darnold.
“As far as Sam is concerned, we think Sam is a dynamic player in this league with unbelievable talent,” said Douglas. “He really has a chance to reach his great potential in the future. [But] if calls are made, i will answer them. “
The Jets received several calls from interested teams, Adam Schefter of ESPN previously reported. Their plan is to evaluate the best quarterbacks in the draft before making a decision on Darnold. The main candidate with the second choice is believed to be Zach Wilson of BYU. Douglas said they are collecting “as much information – good information – as possible” about available defenders. Another option is to stay with Darnold and exchange the second choice for a series of draft options.
The wildcard is Watson. With two first-round choices in the approaching project, and two more in 2022, the Jets have ammunition to carry out an operation of this caliber.
As a rule, Douglas is prohibited from commenting directly on Watson, but he did not seem enthusiastic about the prospect of negotiating significant draw capital for a player. This, of course, can be a posture.
“Obviously, we have a lot of different scenarios and a lot of different rabbit holes that we can make,” he said, answering a general question about a possible highly successful business. “I don’t want to go into a hypothetical issue so much, but I just go back to [our philosophy].
“To get to where the big teams are, the most consistent teams, you do this through the draft. It is the most friendly sports market for teams. To be a team that consistently competes for the Super Bowls, we have to get our draft choices right. “
The Jets have a history of negotiating the main draft choices. They exchanged Jamal Adams’ unfortunate security last summer, and now Maye – his ex-partner – seems to be disenchanted with the negotiations. Agent Erik Burkhardt tweeted that the Jets “refuse to take care of their best player, captain and MVP elected by the team”.
… However, refuse to take care of your best player, Captain and MVP voted for by the team at its peak, who had several All-Pro votes … and who played his entire rookie contract and even changed his position in the contract year after getting rid of last year’s All-Pro security). ✌🏼
– Erik Burkhardt (@ErikBurkhardt) March 3, 2021
Douglas ignored it, indicating that it is part of the deal and the negotiations. He said they had “productive conversations” with Maye’s agents, adding, “Our plan has not changed. We are working on Marcus staying here for a long term.”