Sam Darnold

Jets Notes: Douglas, Darnold, Wilson

April 8th, 2021 at 9:43pm CST by Ben Levine

Joe Douglas didn’t take the Sam Darnold trade lightly, and the Jets GM acknowledged how difficult it was telling the quarterback that he had been traded to the Panthers.

“[T]he swallow-hard moment for me was just making that call to Sam,” Douglas told SI’s Albert Breer. “You know how much work and dedication he’s put in the last three years here, how many rough situations he’s been through, and never wavered with his confidence. Still, when we had the call, I know in his heart of hearts that he feels he was the right guy to turn this franchise around. I just have so much admiration for how he carries himself.”

During the interview with Breer, Douglas revealed that the front office took their time determining how to proceed at quarterback. While the team would have normally completed their scouting much earlier in the offseason, they didn’t get a chance to see the top quarterback prospects in person until late March. Eventually, the organization decided that they’d feel comfortable taking a signal-caller with the No. 2 pick.

“I don’t know how every team approaches a quarterback [evaluation], but I’ve always thought it was a golden rule—you don’t ever take a quarterback until you stand near or next to a guy and watch him throw the football,” Douglas said. “None of the top brass were able to get out to a BYU game this year. There were no all-star games, no combine. You could see Mac Jones at the Senior Bowl. But other than that, your only opportunity to stand there and watch them throw was at a pro day.”

We explored some of the GM’s other soundbites earlier tonight, including the fact that the Jets had a competitive offer for Darnold earlier in the offseason.

Some more notes out of New York:

Joseph Person and Connor Hughes of The Athletic provided a detailed timeline of the Darnold trade, dating back to Jets season-ending loss to the Patriots in early January. Among the notable revelations from the article was the fact that the Panthers starting offer for the quarterback was a fourth-round pick, while the Jets were initially requesting a first-rounder (even if it was conditional). Douglas considered holding out until after the draft in pursuit of that first, but he ultimately decided to avoid the risk of the Panthers pivoting to a rookie or another veteran quarterback.
BYU quarterback Zach Wilson is the favorite to be selected second overall by the Jets. Wilson underwent shoulder surgery back in 2019, but NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the team continues to have no concern about the shoulder, especially after they got positive news from a recent physical. Based on advice from “trusted medical sources,” the organization has “zero issues about Wilson’s shoulder,” per RapSheet.
The 2020 sixth-round pick that the Panthers sent to the Jets in the Darnold trade is a compensatory selection, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini (on Twitter). That pick comes in at No. 226 overall.
We learned earlier tonight that the Jets re-signed cornerback Bennett Jackson. The 2014 sixth-rounder didn’t appear in a regular season game until the 2019 season, when he appeared in six games with the Jets and Ravens. He appeared in four games this past season for New York, collecting a single tackle.

Broncos Expressed Interest In Sam Darnold

April 8th, 2021 at 8:29pm CST by Ben Levine

Add another team to the list of organizations that apparently expressed interest in Sam Darnold. Albert Breer of SI.com writes that the Broncos had touched base with the Jets about a potential trade for the quarterback. However, the reporter described Denver’s interest in the former third-overall pick as “tepid.”

We heard last month that the Broncos weren’t interested in Darnold, although that report indicated that the organization’s lack of interest was more about the asking price (a second rounder) than the player. The Jets were presumably eyeing Denver’s pick at No. 40; Darnold was ultimately traded to the Panthers for a deal that was highlighted by a 2022 second-round pick.

Of course, in hindsight, it’s not a huge surprise that the Broncos reached out to the Jets. For starters, going into the 2018 draft, previous Broncos GM (and current president of football operations) John Elway was interested in selecting the quarterback. Further, the organization has seemingly been on the hunt for a quarterback all offseason; the team reportedly showed interest in Matthew Stafford, Deshaun Watson, and Andy Dalton.

Breer provided another interesting note on the Darnold trade, writing that the Jets received an intriguing offer for the quarterback in early March, but the team wasn’t yet convinced that they were going to take a quarterback with the second-overall pick.

“It was a strong offer,” GM Joe Douglas told Breer. “We told them, Look, there’s still a lot of boxes left to check. And we just don’t feel comfortable, in case something happens with one of the top two guys, we don’t want to get caught in a bad situation, like one of two guys fails a physical and then we don’t have Sam. So we didn’t do anything.”

Douglas noted that eight teams ultimately inquired on Darnold, with the Panthers offer eventually emerging from the pack.

49ers, Washington Expressed Interest In Sam Darnold

April 7th, 2021 at 2:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers and Washington moved on to other quarterback plans this offseason, but going into free agency, the NFC teams had Sam Darnold on their respective radars.

Said to have received inquiries on Darnold in early February, the Jets indeed spoke to the 49ers about their former top-three pick, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The 49ers are not believed to have discussed this year’s No. 2 overall pick seriously with the Jets, but weeks before they made that seismic trade with the Dolphins, Rapoport notes they did ask what it would take to acquire Darnold.

Washington held conversations on the three-year starter as well, but Rapoport notes the Jets had not reached a consensus on their quarterback path yet. Washington then moved on, signing Ryan Fitzpatrick, who joins the re-signed Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen.

San Francisco obviously took a much bigger swing, dealing two future first-rounders for the Dolphins’ No. 3 overall pick this year. This opened the door for the Panthers, who joined both Washington and the 49ers in the Matthew Stafford pursuit. Washington offered its first-round pick and change for Stafford. The Panthers offered their No. 8 overall pick and Teddy Bridgewater to the Lions but had to change course, pivoting to Darnold months later.

Darnold will head to Carolina for his fourth NFL season, while the 49ers have been connected most closely to Mac Jones at No. 3 overall. Jets GM Joe Douglas said the team likely would still be moving forward with Darnold were it not in possession of the No. 2 overall pick, which is expected to be Zach Wilson. Although other quarterback dominoes have moved this offseason, with Stafford and Carson Wentz trades shaking up situations elsewhere, there were a lot of moving parts in the Darnold saga.

Jets GM Joe Douglas On Draft, QBs, Darnold

April 6th, 2021 at 1:45pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Jets made one of the biggest moves of the offseason on Monday, trading Sam Darnold to the Panthers. Rather than shying away from the splashy deal, New York GM Joe Douglas gave a press conference on Tuesday to update the media. At that press conference, he made several interesting revelations. You can read most of those revelations in full courtesy of this Twitter thread from Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.

Perhaps most interestingly, Douglas said that the Jets weren’t looking to move on from Darnold at all costs. In fact, he said if they didn’t have the second overall pick, Darnold would’ve been returning for a fourth year in New York. “Having the No. 2 pick, I think it’s safe to say if our pick was a little bit later we wouldn’t be having this discussion right now. We’d be comfortable moving ahead with Sam,” he explained.

When asked if the team was locked in on taking a quarterback at number two, he didn’t try to obfuscate too much. “I think that’s a fair assessment to say,” he replied. Douglas said the team did consider keeping both Darnold and a rookie on the roster, like Josh McCown and others floated recently, but ultimately decided it wouldn’t have been good for the locker room.

Douglas declined to name a specific quarterback the team is after, although they’re now widely expected to take BYU’s Zach Wilson. He also seemed to indicate that Darnold’s impending price tag (the Panthers will pay him $18.9MM in 2022 by picking up his fifth-year option) was a factor.

“We felt ultimately at the end of the day this was an opportunity to hit the reset button financially, so to speak,” Douglas said. Wilson will be pretty cheap for a handful of years on a rookie deal. While he didn’t explicitly confirm that’s where the team is looking, he may as well have. He was asked about Steve Young recently saying the team was committed to taking Wilson. To that, Douglas replied “Steve’s plugged in to BYU pretty well.”

He also said the team is “very excited” about 2020 fourth-round pick James Morgan, who could potentially backup Wilson. It sounds like the Jets could forego a veteran backup and roll with a very young quarterback room in 2021.

Fallout From Sam Darnold Trade: Panthers, Jets, Rhule, Draft, Bridgewater

April 5th, 2021 at 7:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Panthers and Jets had discussed a Sam Darnold trade for a bit, the talks centering around a trade that became official Monday heated up last week. Joe Douglas and Scott Fitterer discussed Darnold at Ohio State’s pro day on March 30, Joe Person of The Athletic tweets. Other teams contacted the Jets on Darnold ahead of free agency, but during the time Douglas and Co. methodically evaluating this year’s draft-eligible quarterbacks, some would-be suitors moved on. By late last week, the Panthers were the last team left standing that would trade for Darnold, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (video link). The Jets sought a package similar to the one the Cardinals received for fellow 2018 top-10 QB Josh Rosen, wanting a second-round pick and another mid-round pick or a player, according to Albert Breer of SI.com. (The Dolphins sent the 2019 No. 62 overall pick to the Cardinals for Rosen.) The Jets also proposed a pick-swap trade that would have sent Darnold and No. 23 to Carolina for No. 8, per Breer. The Panthers shut off that path but agreed to send a 2021 sixth, a 2022 second and a 2022 fourth for the former No. 3 overall pick. The Jets now have nine picks in Rounds 1 and 2 between this draft and next.

Here is more from the latest 2021 QB domino falling Monday:

Douglas pulled the trigger on a trade more than three weeks away from the draft and did so because Jets brass saw considerable downside in waiting for a better offer. The Jets did not want to lose out on the Panthers’ three-pick proposal, according to The Athletic’s Connor Hughes (Twitter links).
Perhaps paying customary lip service, Fitterer said (per Person, on Twitter) Monday the Darnold acquisition will not take the Panthers out of the quarterback mix at No. 8 overall. That pick, however, can now be used to help Darnold and accelerate the team’s rebuild. It could also be used as a trade chip. The quarterback-seeking Broncos hold pick No. 9, and at least one of the top five quarterbacks figures to remain on the board by then. A team keen on grabbing one of these QB prospects would seemingly be interested in jumping in front of Denver, should the Broncos stay at No. 9.
Teddy Bridgewater looks likely to be a one-and-done as a Panther. As a starter, anyway. He could be off to team No. 5 soon. The Panthers will try to collect a mid-round pick for their 2020 starter, Person notes (subscription required). But they have been trying to unload Bridgewater for weeks, Breer adds. Bridgewater is set to carry a $17MM cap number in 2021, and unless a Case Keenum– or Nick Foles-type situation emerges in which Bridgewater agrees to redo his deal to facilitate a trade, the Panthers will have a difficult time unloading that contract.
A virtual Darnold-Matt Rhule conversation played a role in Monday’s trade. When the Jets interviewed Rhule for their HC job in 2019, he spoke with Darnold. Rhule came away impressed with the quarterback, and Rapoport notes that meeting came into play when Rhule approved this trade (video link).

Jets Trade Sam Darnold To Panthers

April 5th, 2021 at 3:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

3:26pm: Carolina will exercise Darnold’s fifth-year option, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones tweets. This will tie Darnold to the Panthers through 2022 and fully guarantee Darnold $18.9MM next year.

3:03pm: The Jets are trading Sam Darnold to the Panthers, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Carolina will send back a sixth-round pick in 2021, as well as second- and fourth-round picks in 2022.

The Panthers had made no secret of their desire to upgrade at quarterback, and while Darnold is not coming off a particularly impressive season, he is a former top-three pick on a rookie contract. Although a previous report suggested the Panthers were not particularly high on Darnold, they had discussed him for weeks with the Jets, Schefter adds (via Twitter).

This trade also essentially confirms Jets GM Joe Douglas made his quarterback decision. The Jets have been linked to BYU quarterback Zach Wilson with their No. 2 overall pick. While some late rumblings suggested Darnold had support in the building for a fourth season, to either compete with Wilson or induce a trade-down maneuver, the Jets have been expected to draft Wilson and start over for a bit now. Douglas has now traded predecessor Mike Maccagnan‘s final two first-round picks — Darnold and Jamal Adams — over the past two years.

“He is a tough-minded, talented football player whose NFL story has not been written yet,” Douglas said of Darnold. “While all these things are true, this move is in the short- and long-term best interests for both this team and him.”

Carolina had been the team most closely linked to Deshaun Watson this offseason. Owner David Tepper‘s desire to acquire the superstar Texans quarterback became known several weeks ago. Darnold is obviously well off the Watson tier, but the latter’s sudden off-field issues have quieted his trade market. The Jets were also linked to a potential Watson push. Both teams moving on signals the Pro Bowl quarterback may well be in Houston next season.

Darnold is still just 23 but has yet to deliver on the hype he carried in 2018. The Browns were connected to the USC prospect three years ago, but they opted for Baker Mayfield at No. 1 instead. Fixated on Saquon Barkley, the Giants refused to entertain trade offers that could have sent Darnold elsewhere. His New York stay produced occasional flashes, but the situation bottomed out in 2020. Darnold ranked last in QBR, among qualified passers, during his second season with Adam Gase. Darnold has yet to eclipse 20 touchdown passes in a season and has also missed at least three games in each of his three seasons.

The once-coveted prospect will be tabbed to replace Teddy Bridgewater, whose QBR figure ranked 17th last season. But Bridgewater has established a fairly low ceiling. Illustrated by this trade package, Darnold’s still remains relatively uncertain. Darnold will reunite with Robby Anderson in Charlotte, with Christian McCaffrey and D.J. Moore further illustrating the skill-position upgrade the maligned quarterback will receive. Darnold going from Gase to fast-rising OC Joe Brady represents intrigue as well.

The three-year veteran is due to count $9.7MM against the Panthers’ cap in 2021, but should Carolina pick up Darnold’s fifth-year option, his 2022 price would jump to $18.9MM. The Panthers will be forced to eat a chunk of dead money if they trade or release Bridgewater, who is attached to a three-year, $63MM contract. But Tepper authorized a long-term rebuild, giving Matt Rhule a seven-year contract. It would not surprise if the team picked up Darnold’s option for evaluation purposes. Considering Carolina’s interest in Watson, it would also not surprise if the Panthers made this move as a stopgap measure while Watson’s legal situation unfolds.

Holding the No. 8 overall pick, the Panthers can now focus on helping their Darnold-centered roster. This draft will almost certainly begin with three quarterback picks for just the third time ever. The Jaguars, Jets and 49ers’ choices will leave the rest of the QB-seeking crowd with just two of the much-hyped top five quarterback prospects for whom to vie.

Latest On Sam Darnold

April 5th, 2021 at 1:00pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Things have been trending toward the Jets taking BYU quarterback Zach Wilson second overall for a while now, and if that happens it’s been widely assumed Sam Darnold would be traded somewhere. But is it possible the Jets could draft Wilson and keep Darnold around as well? Maybe so.

“Can it be done? Absolutely,” Darnold’s former teammate and mentor Josh McCown, who has stayed close with the USC product, told Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. “In my mind, if you can’t get the value now for him, that’s absolutely how you go about it. I wouldn’t even call it a competition. I would just say, ‘We’re going to go with Sam as the guy and bring Zach along.’ If Sam knocks it out of the park, we’ll re-evaluate where we are a year from now.”

McCown doesn’t think Darnold would shy away from the drama. “Sam would embrace it and be helpful, but he’d also go out and work hard and try to make the most of the opportunity to play this year — and put it back on them and make them have to make a tough decision at the end of the year. I think, if that happens, really and truly, everybody wins.”

While that’s fun to think about, it might be wishful thinking on McCown’s part. McCown’s scenario isn’t “crazy,” Ian Rapoport of NFL Network says (Twitter video link), but most people he’s spoken to still believe Darnold will be traded.

That being said, Rapoport does believe it’s realistic the Jets could keep Darnold to try to get a better draft pick for him later, rather than settle for something now when his value isn’t at its highest. Rapoport doubts New York could get a first-rounder for him, which isn’t surprising considering there was a report earlier that suggested they might not even be able to get a second-rounder for him. We already know the Broncos don’t view him as worth a second-rounder.

We had heard back in February that the Panthers weren’t overly interested in Darnold, but after striking out on other options Rapsheet interestingly highlights them as a team to watch here. With the draft rapidly approaching, we should know a lot more soon so stay tuned.

Jets Split On Quarterback Decision?

April 2nd, 2021 at 5:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Three-plus weeks away from the draft, the early consensus points the Jets to selecting Zach Wilson at No. 2 overall. This would lead former No. 3 overall pick Sam Darnold out of the Big Apple. But the incumbent has supporters within the organization.

Some “high-powered” Jets personnel remain in the pro-Darnold camp, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY notes, with that faction preferring to see the former USC prospect be given another chance with a better roster in 2021. However, another group within the organization is behind a Wilson-centric future — one that would give the Jets at least three years to build around another rookie contract.

Wilson’s value laps Darnold’s at this point, and Vacchiano adds that some around the league wonder if the Jets could even fetch a second-round pick for their three-year starter. Some teams that would have made sense as Darnold suitors have moved on, and the Broncos are not planning to fork over a second-rounder for Darnold. While it is not certain if Denver is fully out on the passer it once coveted, new GM George Paton is not keen on trading his second-round pick for the passer that ranked last in 2020 QBR. The Panthers are also not believed to be high on Darnold.

The Jets were connected to a trade of Darnold or a trade of the No. 2 pick, but Vacchiano notes nothing has surfaced indicating the team has engaged in serious Darnold trade talks. Teams have inquired, however. Darnold remains on his rookie salary for 2021, but the Jets (or the team that acquires him) must decide on an $18.8MM fifth-year option by May 3. The Jets could theoretically keep both QBs, which would remind of the Chargers’ Drew Brees–Philip Rivers situation in the mid-2000s, but it should still be expected the team chooses between them.

The 49ers are not believed to have had serious discussions with the Jets about trading up to No. 2 overall, with San Francisco instead climbing to No. 3. The price the 49ers paid to rise nine slots — the No. 12 pick and a third-rounder in this year’s draft, along with 2022 and ’23 first-rounders — illustrates the value of the Jets’ selection. While Wilson still appears on course to succeed Darnold, GM Joe Douglas may not have made his final decision yet.

Broncos Not Interested In Sam Darnold?

March 30th, 2021 at 5:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

As teams in similar positions added quarterbacks in free agency or via trade, the Broncos have stood pat. They are planning to acquire a veteran quarterback, but Sam Darnold might not be on GM George Paton‘s radar.

The Broncos have not expressed interest in the Jets passer this offseason, at least not at the price the Jets may be seeking, Troy Renck of Denver7 tweets. While rumors of the Jets being able to fetch a first-round pick for Darnold have not surfaced in months, a second-rounder may be in play. The Broncos, however, are not believed to view Darnold as enough of an upgrade to part with a Round 2 pick, Renck adds. With the Broncos holding a high second-round pick (No. 40), it makes sense they would not part with that choice in such a trade.

Going into the 2018 draft, previous Broncos GM John Elway was interested in Darnold. However, the Broncos did not trade up from their No. 5 overall pick (Bradley Chubb) and saw the Jets draft the USC product. The team had then just signed Case Keenum, who became the fourth quarterback to start for Denver since Peyton Manning‘s retirement. The Broncos have now started 10 QBs over the past five seasons.

Drew Lock remains in line to start for the Broncos. He ranked 29th in QBR last season and led the NFL in interceptions, throwing 15 picks despite missing three games and much of Week 2. Darnold, however, ranked last (33rd) among qualified quarterbacks in QBR in 2020.

The Broncos made an offer for Matthew Stafford, but it was not on the level of the Panthers or Washington’s bids, and were planning to pursue Deshaun Watson — prior to the quarterback’s off-field issues surfacing. Paton indicated trades would be an option for the team. Gardner Minshew has drawn trade interest, and Nick Foles would seemingly be another option as a veteran who could join Lock. The 49ers have insisted they have Jimmy Garoppolo in their 2021 plans, though their trade to No. 3 overall could point Garoppolo elsewhere.

While the Jets’ plans are not known, they are currently expected to select Zach Wilson at No. 2 overall. With the Jets set to either trade Darnold or that pick, the Broncos loom as an obvious candidate to acquire the three-year veteran. But they may not take that route.

Latest On 49ers’ Trade, QB Plans

March 29th, 2021 at 12:45pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The 49ers pulled off a stunner this past week when they traded with the Dolphins to move up to the third overall pick in next month’s draft. It was a move with significant implications that will have a domino effect around the rest of the league.

Now we’ve got some more details on how exactly the blockbuster went down and San Francisco’s plans moving forward, courtesy of Albert Breer of SI.com. Interestingly, although we heard the 49ers and Jets didn’t have talks about a trade for the second overall pick, the 49ers “did have some internal discussion” about Sam Darnold, Breer writes. It’s confirmation that after missing out on Matthew Stafford, San Francisco still was mulling other veteran options before ultimately opting to roll with a rookie.

Breer also writes that the 49ers’ scouts gave management a “bleak” picture of the 2022 quarterback class, reinforcing the need to make a move in this draft cycle rather than next. The 49ers and Dolphins started talking trade “about three weeks ago,” and the talks were kept a tight secret.

Other teams inquired about trading for the third pick, and those other teams “were told only that Miami had a strong offer for it,” but not from whom. Breer confirms the Patriots inquired about Jimmy Garoppolo earlier this offseason, but still says that Garoppolo isn’t available in a trade.

That’s in large part because San Francisco “believes it has a championship roster,” and doesn’t want to give the keys over to a rookie blindly before even seeing them in practice. It sounds like if whatever quarterback the 49ers draft at three comes in and looks great during OTAs and training camp, then Garoppolo could be moved over the summer, which Breer speculates about as well.

No matter what happens next, it was a bold move by Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch. We won’t know the full scope of the fallout for quite some time.

Load More Posts