I think we all wanted to. I thought he was the guy and was laughing at the Browns and bills when we drafted him, but he hasn't given us those signature drives, throws, and wins that endear a player to a fanbase. Baker, lamar, and Allen all have. I've typed it before, but Darnold doesn't look good throwing. He just doesn't look comfortable in the pocket (and never has.) That leads to anxiety, for me at least, every time he drops back. Is he going to throw a pick, miss a wide open guy, or run out of bounds behind the line? Are there ghosts in the secondary? Then there are the injuries. Will he hold the ball too long and be out for the next 4 weeks? Also his career started with a goddamn pick six! It doesn't get any worse than that start. All of those reasons led me to not love the guy. But, I may be in the minority... Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
Maybe JD has a certain price for Darnold, and if it’s not met, then he’s prepared to keep him to battle in camp and/or trade him whenever a team loses their QB? Can still take a rookie QB in this scenario. Only weird thing would be is if Sam wins the job and plays well all season. It wouldn’t be a bad thing, but would put us to another big decision.
I think, in spite of the media predictions, that nothing today is any clearer than yesterday as far as the Jets are concerned. Maybe we know more about the Niners and the Dolphins but Carolina and Denver have yet to be heard from. An exciting month ahead.
If Sam is still on the team I doubt there will be a QB competition. The only reason to keep Sam on the team would be to start him and hope he plays well enough to create value/interest in the market and give Wilson extra time to learn. If Sam plays well JD pulls off a trade and Wilson becomes the starter; if Sam does not he gets sat and Wilson becomes the starter.
Pretty interesting article. I would say Douglas has moved us closer to this philosophy than any other GM we've had in a long time. He had those 2 trade downs that yielded a lot of value on paper last year. For a QB its a tough decision because you only get 1 crack at that per year unless you do what WFT did that year they got RGIII and Cousins in the same draft and that is rare exception. I think what makes most sense from a strategy standpoint is they stay put at #2, grab a top 4 QB, and then seen who falls to 23 and 34. If they think that a highest tiers of talent are gone then that's a prime opportunity to trade into the mid rounds and next year. While Douglas's results have been mixed, he understands the value of players on cheap rookie deals as evidenced by the lack pursuit in interior offensive linemen and cornerbacks this free agency. He would prefer getting a rookie on a good deal versus an over the hill veteran with issues who he will have to pay 10x the price for.
Logic would say that but if the Jets go on an unlikely run and Sam is playing well it’s not that crazy to have the rookie stay on the bench and the Jets just play it out if they’re in a realistic playoff hunt Obviously there’s many variables to this, including whether or not a team(s) loses their starting QB to injury and even if they want Darnold. The rookie QB’s development and readiness and also Sam’s play could change decisions as well
Good post! I think this is how many Jets fans feel. You get hyped when you draft a top prospect (Like Jets fans are already doing with Wilson) but he needs to make plays and succeed for the majority of fans to start loving the guy. I liked him coming out of USC, so I was excited he somehow landed on the Jets. Unfortunately, things have not worked out. He never really showed a leadership role. He never made the big plays or signature drives like you said. I feel like he could, he just never did.
No, it wouldn't. You're not being realistic at all. If JD takes a QB at #2, he is our QB of the future. Period. There will be no decisions to be made or any discussions to be had. When you take a QB in the top 5 he is your QB, you are committed to him unless or until he proves that he was a bad pick and doesn't have what it takes. Sam has proven that he doesn't have what it takes. Wilson is already a much better, more accurate QB than Sam probably will ever be. If Sam is not traded immediately, it's because he will be the veteran bridge starter until the OL and Wilson are ready and then he'll be traded or take a seat on the bench until he becomes a FA.
all this malrkey "If Sam balls out and we go on a run..." gtfoh the NFL has spoken loud and clear. Andy Dalton (good ANdy is Sams celiling) is more valued than Sam.
There is certainly that possibility, at which point I can see them riding out Sam and further increasing his value, and creating the option to franchise and trading him.
No, they’ve spoken that they’d rather take their chance on Dalton for a minor contract that having to give up assets and guarantee his fifth year for Sam. You’re not comparing apples to apples.
No. For one they don't have to guarantee Sam. Both Dalton and Sam will be FAs next year without any guarantee. Yes, they have to give up some asset for Sam, but Sam only costs 4 mil, while Dalton 10, so they could use 6 mil of CAP savings to sign another guy or more. That 6 mil dollar CAP room is an asset too. So, yeah, not exactly identical, but not worlds apart. They preferred Dalton as their starting QB to Sam, it's as simple as that. And there is a very good explanation. Both were starters last year, and Andy played while unspectacular, but solid ball, while Sam was the worst starting QB in NFL. It's not a rocket science. With that said, could Chicago perhaps trade a mid round asset for Sam later to be Andy's back-up and possibly compete for starter? I think that is within realm of possibility. But make no mistake, Dalton was a higher priority for Chicago for a starting QB position than Sam, which is why he was signed for a hefty sum.
Of course they don’t have to but what’s the likelihood a team would trade for Sam and not execute the option? Not likely. Especially if they have to give up a decent pick. that being said, to date Dalton has proven to be a better QB and the Chicago staff simply isn’t in a position to take a risk on Darnold. I never believed them to be legitimately interested in him.
It depends on what you mean my decent pick, but I am thinking 3d/4th rounder, one of these comp picks perhaps. And most likely during/after the draft, if a team say targets but misses out on likes of Trask, maybe Newman. When all this Kiper/Schefter hoopla was happening about Sam going somewhere like Washington or Chicago to be a starter, I never bought into that. My thinking has always been that if Sam is traded, it will be as a back-up with youth/potential, and the compensation will be in accordance. Hence the price I named above. And that means no $20 mil option is going to be picked up. The benefit is that you get him for a decent 4 mil one year contract and pay a relatively small draft price. Or JD keeps him and we basically do the same (keep him as a back-up), he could even start at first while rookie learns. So, compared to last year, rookie replaces Flacco, and then takes over when ready.
I think Sam is worth more to JD (at the moment) than to another team. If JD were to trade Sam say now, that would show his hand for the draft. I think JD prefers to keep is plans close to the vest and wheel and deal in the moment. But if he's totally sold on Zack, then I think Sam is gone that day.
We have #2 pick. If he trades Sam now and shows his hand, what exactly is a negative impact of that? Jags will still pick Lawrence and we get our chance of next QB. Showing the hand by trading Sam is not a problem. No, I think the explanation is much simpler that that, and you alluded to it in your post. Sam is not worth much to other teams, we still need a veteran QB, so he may be worth more to us than the little we have been offered (if anything at all).
Having Sam in his back pocket makes it less risky to trade down. If JD wants to trade down 'some' and still come away with one of the QBs, there's always a risk that all 5 are gone. If he trades Sam b4 the draft, he has to be more conservative in his trade down. I read somewhere that the coaching staff would be fine with keeping Sam, so if that's what JD ends up with because his trade down blew up in his face, then so be it. It's not really a 'big' thing either way, but having Sam does give him more flexibility in the draft. Not much, but 'some'. And that might be worth more to him than a 2022 4th round pick
