FLORHAM PARK, New Jersey – Three years after acclaiming him as a franchise saver, the New York Jets traded Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers on Monday, ending months of intense speculation about his quarterback plans.
In exchange for Darnold, the No. 3 pick in the 2018 global draft, the Jets received three selections: a sixth in the 2021 draft later this month and a second and fourth in 2022.
Without a proven quarterback on the roster, the Jets are expected to select Darnold’s replacement with No. 2 overall in the April 29 draft in Cleveland (on ESPN and the ESPN app). The main candidate is BYU’s Zach Wilson, who has met with the Jets’ Brass almost several times.
The organization was in conflict with the decision to secede from Darnold, sources said. Jets coach Robert Saleh talked a lot about him and said he has “incredible talent in his arm.” CEO Joe Douglas also praised him, but refused to commit to Darnold last month and indicated he was open to business inquiries.
Darnold has one year left on a rookie contract, with a guaranteed salary and bonuses totaling $ 4.6 million. The Panthers will have to decide Darnold’s fifth-year option for 2022 before May 3; the default amount is $ 18.8 million, fully guaranteed. It was supposed to count $ 9.8 million for the Jets cover, but they will receive a $ 4.8 million relief and a $ 5 million “dead” charge by 2021.
Darnold, 23, did not live up to high expectations in New York. He showed his promise at the end of his rookie season, but backtracked with former coach Adam Gase, who was hired in 2019 – largely – to develop the former USC star.
In three seasons, Darnold went from 13 to 25 as a starter, with 45 touchdown passes and 39 interceptions. He completed 59.8% of his passes and never finished above 26th in the passer classification.
He finished as the NFL’s lowest passer in 2020 (72.7), 36th out of 36 ranked quarterbacks. His passer rating is 78.6, which ranks 39th out of 39 since 2018.
Darnold has fought injuries and illnesses throughout his career. He missed three games as a rookie (torn foot), three games in 2019 (mononucleosis) and four games in 2020 (sprained shoulder).
To be fair, he didn’t have much stability with the Jets, as he played with two head coaches and two different offensive systems. He also had no 1,000-yard runners or 1,000-yard wide receivers and played behind a constantly changing offensive line.
The Jets landed in Darnold after a box office trade a month before the 2018 draft. Determined to pick a quarterback, they climbed three places to No. 3, sending three second-round picks to the Indianapolis Colts.
They didn’t think Darnold would be available at No. 3, but the Cleveland Browns surprised by getting No. 1 from Baker Mayfield overall. Runner Saquon Barkley headed to the New York Giants, leaving Darnold for the Jets, who had ranked him as the No. 1 quarterback in the draft.
The property was not shy when it came to expressing their enthusiasm.
“Honestly, I think [people] we’ll look back 20 years from now and say this is the time the Jets moved to a new team, they became a great team, ”Jets vice president Christopher Johnson said a few days after the draft.
Darnold began the opening day as a rookie, infamously throwing a pick-six on his first pass. He settled in and beat the Detroit Lions in a blast, thrilling the Jets quarterbacks fan base. He had a season up and down (17 touchdowns, 15 interceptions), but there were enough positives to make the organization believe he had found a long-term answer.
It wasn’t until the 2020 season that questions arose about his future. Darnold struggled, injured his shoulder and the team started 0-13, putting him in contention for election number 1 in the 2021 draft. With the speculation of quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Darnold led the He throws two wins in his last three games, leaving the franchise with the No. 2 pick.