With the NFL quarterback carousel starting to spin, teams are interested in seeing if the Jets are ready to jump.
ESPN reported on Sunday that several teams had contacted the Jets to express an interest in negotiating for Sam Darnold. The report, citing sources, said the Jets did not reject the calls, but also did not indicate which way they would go in the quarterback.
The fact that the Jets are taking the calls shows how seriously they are considering leaving Darnold, the quarterback they chose as the No. 3 overall in 2018 to be the franchise’s quarterback. In the 2019 negotiation deadline, Jets general manager Joe Douglas said Darnold was the only player on the list he didn’t even care about.
Now, he’s listening, at least.
The Jets have a big decision in the quarterback to do this offseason. They could recruit a quarterback with general choice number 2 or stay with Darnold. There is also Deshaun Watson hanging over it all. The Texan quarterback has requested an exchange and the Jets are in a strong position to negotiate for him with choice # 2 as the centerpiece of an exchange package that can feature up to three first-round choices. So far, however, Houston has said it is not negotiating Watson and has rejected any suitor.
A source said there was still much debate within the Jets about Darnold. Some believe that Darnold can be rescued with better training and a better support cast. Others are ready to move on with the 23-year-old.
Whatever the Jets decide, it will have long-term implications for them, Douglas and new coach Robert Saleh.
It is expected that there will be a lot of defender movement in this off-season. This started last week, when Lions sent Matthew Stafford to the Rams via Jared Goff and a package that included two choices in the first round. There are several reports that the Eagles are close to negotiating with Carson Wentz.
As the play of the defender’s musical chairs continues, there will be fewer suitors for Darnold if the Jets decide to negotiate him. The Bears, 49ers, Colts, Panthers and the Washington Football Team were reported to have contacted Stafford before he was traded.
Darnold will not seek two choices in the first round like Stafford, but people around the NFL believe that the Jets could get at least one choice in the second round for Darnold and perhaps an end in the first round.
Many people loved Darnold when he left USC in 2018 and there are certainly coaches in the league who believe they can make him play better.
Darnold was a big disappointment with the Jets. He threw 45 touchdowns and 39 interceptions, as the team had 13-25 with him as a full-back. Darnold’s supporters point to Darnold’s lack of talent and the poor training of Adam Gase and Jeremy Bates. In 2020, Darnold’s passer rating of 72.7 was 35th out of 35 qualified NFL quarterbacks.
The Jets seemed to be on their way to choice # 1 and Clemson’s star, Trevor Lawrence, which would make Darnold’s decision easy. But they won two games in December after starting year 0-13 to give the Jaguars the number one choice. The best defenders after Lawrence are BYU’s Zach Wilson and Ohio State’s Justin Fields, but there is no consensus on whether any of them should be chosen to reach second place overall.