New York Jets rookie quarterback Sam Darnold set the bar high for his expectations. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
While Sam Darnold didn’t go LeBron James on us by saying the New York Jets will win “not one, not two, not three championships … ,” he might as well have after his initial presser with the media at the Jets team facilities.
“Winning a Super Bowl is everyone’s goal entering a season,” Darnold said during his introductory press conference. “Whether I’m a backup or whether I’m starting quarterback, everyone on the team wants to win a Super Bowl. That’s the goal for everyone. Anything short of that is a failure, and we’re aware of that.”
Ironically, the Jets haven’t been to a Super Bowl since the Broadway Joe Namath days, the last time the Jets took a quarterback this high in the NFL Draft.
Darnold may not have the swagger of a Baker Mayfield, but he seems to have this quiet confidence that is absolutely infectious.
The expectations on Darnold are so far through the roof it’s not even funny. For a team that hasn’t even been to the Super Bowl since 1969, I’ve already heard the whispers of fans expecting multiple championships. If that doesn’t speak to the pressure of the biggest media market on planet Earth, nothing will.
Despite being the consensus top quarterback throughout this offseason process, Darnold tumbled to the third pick where the Jets were waiting with willing and open arms.
This is the third year in the last four years in which the green and white landed arguably the best prospect in the entire draft. The first two being Leonard Williams, defensive lineman, out of USC and Jamal Adams, safety out of LSU both with the No. 6 pick. Then, of course, Sam Darnold falling to the Jets this past Thursday night.
Perhaps the football gods aren’t angry with the Jets after all.
