Just like they did for Sanchez, right? Why do you keep using the word "elite" here; that's not the question. We're talking about a franchise quarterback. Flacco started with a rookie of the year season and continued to be productive and successful for a decade. Why would an organization not build a team around him? Darnold, on the other hand has been neither productive nor successful. Your qualifications for a franchise quarterback are distressingly weak.
LOL.... FROM CBS JETS When you lose to a team that's tanking, you get an "F." This game was a disaster from start to finish for the Jets, who actually seemed like they were getting worse as the game progressed. The Jets followed a missed field goal in the first quarter with an ugly goal-line interception in the second quarter, and if that wasn't bad enough, they also gave two free points to the Dolphins when they safetied themselves in the third quarter. Dolphins Ryan Fitzpatrick must have been getting tired of all the tanking jokes, because he almost single-handedly carried the Dolphins to their first win of the season on Sunday. Going up against his old team, Fitzpatrick threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns, which all came in the second quarter. After gaining the lead late in the first half, the Dolphins basically gave the Jets a shovel and let them bury themselves. Defensively, the Dolphins were also pretty impressive. Not only did they sack Sam Darnold three times, but Jomal Wiltz came up with a huge goal line interception in the second quarter that kept the Jets out of the end zone on a key drive. After running Adam Gase out of Miami, the Dolphins might have just done enough to get him run out of New York.
No, a franchise QB is someone you build your team around. Darnold is a former 3rd overall pick in his second year, if you can’t see that they’re going to try to build around him then you’re blind.
Well they may be trying to but unfortunately I can't see what they are actually doing to build around him.
Never said they’re doing it successfully. It makes no sense to not say Sam is our franchise QB. Yes he’s regressing and doesn’t look good at all right now, but he’s still the guy here.
As I said, your requirements for a franchise quarterback are distressingly weak. Here's what Bleacher Report had to say on the subject: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/227222-what-is-a-franchise-quarterback-exactly https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1713557-how-to-define-a-franchise-qb-in-todays-nfl Here's one from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franchise_player Fansided/ nflmocks.com has a list: https://nflmocks.com/2018/06/24/nfl-defines-elusive-franchise-quarterback/ Bucky Brooks on nfl.com also has a definition and a list (interesting side note as he also reviews Darnold's early performance after two preseason games last year): https://nflmocks.com/2018/06/24/nfl-defines-elusive-franchise-quarterback/ I could have pulled up a few dozen more but these were the first to come up on Google. The common thread in all of them is production, not planning, which also goes by "wishing and hoping." Franchise Quarterback is a title that must be earned; that hasn't happened for the Jets in decades.