FLORHAM PARK, NJ – Explaining the biggest deal of his two-year tenure, New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas said the decision to negotiate quarterback Sam Darnold was based on two factors – recruiting position and finance.
“I think it’s safe to say that if our choice were a little later, we wouldn’t be having this discussion right now,” Douglas told reporters on Tuesday by phone from Zoom. “We would be totally comfortable moving forward with Sam.”
The Jets, who chose second place in the NFL’s April 29 draft, traded Darnold with the Carolina Panthers for three choices in the draft – a sixth round pick in 2021, plus 2,022 in the second and fourth rounds.
Second, the Jets must select BYU quarterback Zach Wilson.
Douglas downplayed the possibility of changing the pick. He acknowledged the obvious, saying that they are stuck with a quarterback. But he did not say which, insisting that the final decision has not yet been made.
“We feel really good about the draft class as a whole and the quarterback class specifically,” said Douglas. “This was an opportunity to hit the reset button financially, so to speak.”
That was a big factor, the sources said.
The second choice in the project will result in a four-year contract worth $ 35 million, fully guaranteed – a fixed cost that will allow for financial flexibility for years to come. Meanwhile, Darnold was scheduled to count on $ 9.8 million in the final year of his newbie contract. The Jets could have exercised their fifth-year option in 2022, but the cost would have been $ 18.9 million.
It would have been $ 28.7 million in two years, compared to $ 35 million in four. There is also a $ 5 million limit to trade Darnold.
Although Douglas praised Darnold, the organization believes it will find an upgrade with the second choice. Darnold, ranked third overall in 2018, did not live up to expectations and was the player with the lowest ranking in the league in the past three seasons.
Douglas admitted that the Jets did not do enough to help Darnold, saying that they have to do a better job to surround the next quarterback with talent.
The team toyed with the idea of keeping Darnold and pairing him with a newcomer, Douglas confirmed. Ultimately, the Jets decided it would be a distraction for all parties.
“In the end, this would not be the best situation for Sam, the novice defender, the coach [Robert] Saleh and his team, and the locker room, “said Douglas.” We felt that this was the best decision for the entire organization to move forward, to press the reset button. “
Douglas said he conducted “conversations with many teams”, including the Panthers, about the second choice, but that he would not characterize any of these discussions as meaningful.
The plan is to stay in second place and choose a defender. Unless there is a turn, it will be Wilson. If they were choosing in the 12 to 14 range, they would have rolled with Darnold, GM said.
“Based on the decision we made [Monday]”Douglas said,” you can see the direction we are going. “