Teams contact Jets about QB Sam Darnold (Report)

Sam Darnold’s future with the Jets is unclear. Other NFL teams have reportedly expressed interest in the young quarterback.

A number of teams have contacted the Jets about quarterback Sam Darnold, per league sources connected to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Gang Green has apparently fielded the calls but no decision in regard to the soon-to-be fourth-year player has been made just yet.

Darnold has been his team’s primary starter since the Jets chose him in the 2018 draft’s first round. But after three consecutive losing campaigns and an overall slow development from the man himself, New York may indeed look to part ways with him in favor of an early draft pick or superstar Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. The latter scenario would encompass the Jets giving up an absurd hall during trade talks.

Speaking of a trade, what could the Jets receive if they were to send Darnold elsewhere?

Well, Schefter believes the team could actually collect a late first-round pick. Ironically, a number of playoff teams (who obviously possess that type of draft selection) could use a change at the quarterback position; the Bears, Colts, Saints, and Washington are a few ballclubs that come to mind.

This belief may actually make sense, given Darnold’s on-field potential especially with an effective head coach and offensive play-caller (Adam Gase wasn’t that guy). For what it’s worth, a then-32-year-old Matthew Stafford recently went to the Rams for a pair of first-rounders, a third-rounder, and two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Jared Goff.

If the Jets, however, were to convince a team to give up its late first-round selection for Darnold, they’d probably need to include a middle-round pick (such as a third or fourth-rounder). This would especially be the case if the Jets were to do business with a team like Washington (No. 19 overall pick). A third-rounder and Darnold could be enough to snag that first-round selection and increase the number of 2021 opening-round picks the Jets possess to three.

Remember: not all first-round picks are equal. In the event the Jets make a trade with Tampa Bay (it’s unclear how long Tom Brady will stick around), the deal would likely not need to contain a pick as valuable as a third.

Darnold could also find himself playing for Houston next season. There’s a chance the Jets include him in a highly significant package for Watson, one that would possibly comprise of a trio of first-round selections.