Jets general manager Joe Douglas opened the door on Tuesday for the team’s chance to change quarterback Sam Darnold.
Douglas praised Darnold, but did not actually commit to him as the team’s quarterback in 2021.
“We have a lot of decisions to make,” said Douglas. “I think Sam is going to be a great defender. I’m excited to have a head coach here, to go through our process. I had a great conversation with Sam yesterday. I won’t go into details, but I think Sam has a very bright future in this league. … I’m excited about Sam. “
It was a change from October 2019, when Douglas said that Darnold was the only untouchable player in the team’s squad and that he would hear exchange offers to anyone else. But Douglas and the Jets now face a big decision in the quarterback: stay with Darnold, who has had a terrible season, and try to support him with better talents around him or change Darnold and select a quarterback with the overall number 2 choice in the draft. April.
Douglas won’t make that call alone, so he can’t answer that question right now. Douglas and the Jets need to find a new coach before making any calls on the list.
“Any important decision we make regarding the squad, in terms of free agency, draft, anything, our new head coach, will be a big part of that advance,” said Douglas.
Darnold ended the season as the lowest ranked passer in the NFL. He launched 11 interceptions and nine touchdowns in 12 games. Adam Gase was fired on Sunday in part for failing to get more from Darnold and the NFL’s worst attack. Douglas made excuses for Darnold on Tuesday.
“I think Sam faced a lot of obstacles this year, just like everyone else,” said Douglas. “Dealing with COVID, and frankly, we had some injuries in the offensive line, in the position of wide receiver. I think it was difficult for our attack in general to really build sustainable chemistry to really create success throughout the year. I think we had different offensive line groups throughout the season. We didn’t get a chance to have our first three receivers on the field at the same time until week 9. I think all of these things impacted not only Sam, but also our attack. I think you saw, in December, Sam played a lot of good ball. You obviously saw that we were able to beat two playoff teams and a lot of that is due to the way Sam played. “
Douglas and the Jets are now beginning their search for a new coach. It is known that the team requested interviews with six candidates. Douglas is leading the search and said he is looking for a “great partner” with high integrity and a vision of what he wants the team’s identity to be.
There are six coaching spots around the NFL at the moment. Most people see the opening of the Jets at the bottom of the list in terms of attractiveness, but Douglas said the team has some selling points.
“I think there are a lot of good pieces here,” said Douglas. “I think there are some important and young players. I think it is our responsibility to try to build around the pieces that we have in place. It is our responsibility to make the best decisions in terms of the leader we hire, the players we choose at the free agency, the players we select. Obviously, we are excited about the resources we have. We are excited to speak with a candidate to come to this great city, this great market and this great fan base and really build something special that hasn’t been done here in a long time. I think it’s an exciting time for this franchise, for this fan base. “
Douglas said it will be a broad search and that college coaches will be considered. Douglas said it was difficult to see Gase get fired.
“I know people outside this building, they may not see it right now, but he did some really good things here that will help us move on,” said Douglas.
He also had his share of the blame for the team’s 2-14 record in 2020.
“I certainly could have done a better job putting this list together, helping this team, helping this team to be successful,” said Douglas.