https://nypost.com/2022/04/08/sam-darnold-warned-jets-they-were-making-a-mistake-trading-him/ According to a new interview on the Bussin’ with the Boys podcast, the former Jets quarterback said he let his feelings be known when the Jets traded him to the Panthers last year. Darnold claims that he told the organization that it was “making a mistake” by letting him go in favor of drafting Zach Wilson. One year later, Darnold is facing a similar fate with Carolina. The Panthers invited six of the 2022 NFL Draft’s best quarterbacks for a visit of the team facilities. However, the 24-year-old is not worried about his future, believing that he’s proven himself enough that other teams will pounce if Carolina decided to go with a rookie quarterback. Darnold, however, has not performed to the potential expected from the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 Draft, so it’s not likely that there will be a huge market for him beyond a backup role. Reportedly, Darnold’s trade value has “cratered” after his first season in Carolina and it’s likely the Panthers would need to drop some cash to get rid of him. In 2021, Darnold completed 59.9 percent of his passes for 2,527 yards with nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions. In his four years in the league, Darnold has recorded an interception rate of 3.2 percent with 54 touchdowns. _______________ Not to dwell on the past too much but wow - it struck me how delusional Darnold comes off in this. I get that no QB is going to tell a team they're doing the right thing by trading them but to admit to these comments publicly a year later, after another awful season with a new team? Yikes. I don't have anything against Darnold personally but the guy didn't understand being traded after being the worst starting QB in the league during his first 3 seasons? These statements are really indicative of Darnold's main problem, an inability to admit faults which leads to an inability to improve or correct those faults. I'm reminded of his statement around when he was drafted about how he didn't feel any need to change his throwing motion or footwork. Anyway, the past is the past but this was striking to me.
I don't see any problem with Sam saying that. I watched most of that interview. He is aware things did not work out with the Jets and are likely not working out with the Panthers. It's actually impressive he has any self confidence left with what he has been through the past 4 seasons. Once that is gone, you are done as a starting QB. So he at least said the right things if a QB-needy team is watching that. How he plays on the field tells another story though. Definitely shows a lack of confidence there. I'm not sure what is wrong with Sam, but something is missing. I really thought he would be an elite QB in the NFL and it just hasn't worked out.
Yeah it just sounds like he is admitting he said that back then. I'm also not sure what is wrong with Sam but his play doesn't display the confidence he shows in this statement. He is still a timid QB who tries to hard to play safe while still making too many poor decisions. I have no problem believing his career changed during the ghosts game. He still has the physical tools but his head isn't right because he doesn't play with confidence.
The mental aspect of his game just hasn't been the same since he saw ghosts on Monday Night. The game before against Dallas and the previous season against Houston, Green Bay, and Buffalo saw him play with poise and look the part of an up and coming QB.
I agree he never recoverd from the beating he took against NE. Gase left him in all game when he was unable to protect himself and then he got beaten up the following week by Jax. What Gase did to Darnold was criminal. Confidence is everything for a QB. When they lose it everything falls apart and they rarely regain that confidence. Which is what I found encouraging about ZW last year. When he lost his confidence his entire game fell apart, pocket presence, mechanics and everything. But, he found the mental strength to regroup, regain his confidence, regain his pocket presence, improve his mechanics, make better decisions and play better. It is quite rare to see a QB regain confidence. I don't know what we have in Zach but his mental strength is impressive.
What's crazy, is he's still only 24. Maybe he can have a "Rich Gannon" type of career and produce down the road.
I am actually happy to hear this. I questioned his desire to be great and this is something someone who wants to be great would say. Even though hes not a Jet anymore I wish him well
honestly hasn't had a good team around him and doesn't process the game fast enough. he has the arm talent, he has a lot of good qualities to him. he's never gonna be elite, but if guys like bortles are still in the league and josh johnson got a start at 40 he can be in the NFL for quite some time and maybe get a shot again in a better situation
While we should be able to land a good player at pick 38 we gave up a ton of draft capital to take our current QB. The jury is still out on which QB will have a better career. It we rode with San last year and pulled the plug during this off-season there were several optiins available via trade.
Should have worked his balls off like Allen and he would have been a good QB by now, he thought he knew better and didn't want to change. Welcome to the land of the backup QB.
By the way he sucked at his chosen profession>>>An NFL QB His warning only means something if Wilson busts out too...and will that happen???? It's such thrill to anticipate how the Jets future plays out
I think the biggest problem for Sam is that even when he was successful his success was based on playing well outside the structure of the offense. I have never seen him play well within the structure of the offense. It is breaking out of the pocket and making WOW type plays is where he has done well. Playing well within the pocket and getting the ball out quickly is IMO what makes a QB god or bad. Look at Zach his 1st 5 games he was the best player on the field 2 games and the worst player on the field 2 games. But, he was the best player on the field for the wrong reasons because he was making plays out of the structure of the offense. This is not sustainable which is why he was also the worst player in 2 games. But, if you look at Zach's good play the last 7 games it was because he was playing well within the structure of the offense, playing well in the pocket and getting the ball out quickly. This is something Sam has never been able to do. He can make the flash highlight plays but he has not shown the ability to run the offense in a consistent manner and that is what makes a good QB.
I've always said he can be an Andy Dalton type, a useful player who can win games, but not take over them. To do that, you need a good support cast. We know he never came close to that with the jets. In carolina, they had no semblance of an offensive line, but they had McCaffrey and some nice receivers. Darnold played pretty well the first quarter of the season, but once McCaffrey went down, so did his play. That line is fucking trash. They are going to pick another Andy Dalton type QB at 6 (like Pickett) and still have that same crappy o-line. At least McCaffrey will be back. I think if Darnold was in the right situation, he would be above average, but that's his ceiling.
I think the fact that Darnold had roughly the same stats as Wilson last year means we won the trade. Wilson gave us the same production Darnold used to at a lower cost. Had we kept Darnold we'd also be paying him $18 million next year to ride the bench. That's about 10% of the total salary cap on a player who'd be contributing nothing. The big difference between Darnold and Dalton is Dalton has at least shown an ability to limit interceptions, which Darnold has never done well. Dalton has roughly a 2:1 TD/INT ratio over his career, Darnold's is 1:1. You can't have a game manager ceiling if you're not at least careful with the ball.
Dalton can read defenses he is just limited physically. Darnold had all the talent but when you watch film breakdown of him he gets the basics of reading a defense wrong. Zach got it right most of the time but was just slow in his processing (typical for a rookie). Good rookie QBs can get away with this a greatt receiver or offense.
Sam is a guy that we ca al root for regardless of where he winds up (out of our division that is). He is not a pompous asshole like most NFL players are and is an honest standup guy. We all know the Gase administration killed him. Matt Rhule has not done much better by him either, but maybe he can land somewhere with a competent CS and turn his career around. Remember how aggravating it was when he held out of TC his rookie season? That seems like a lifetime ago considering where we are now, although we as the NYJ are actually in the same place we were then LOL, having no clue if we do or do not have a FQB.
Darnold was better than Wilson was in their rookie years. Both had equally terrible teams around them.
Didn’t like his college tape.. Didn’t see what scouts saw at all and now people are surprised he’s a bust… Josh Allen was the pick as I pounded the desk on here and got ridiculed for it by so many people on here. With QBs you got to trust ur eyes period when watching tape.
