The trade speculation surrounding Sam Darnold has cooled considerably in recent weeks, and it seems likely that the quarterback will remain with the team in 2021. He may not be guaranteed a starting job, however, which is something Josh McCown thinks the former USC star would embrace.
McCown, who was teammates with Darnold in 2018, spoke with ESPN’s Rich Cimini about the situation the Jets have put Darnold in over the past three seasons. He believes they are well positioned for the future but were not when they drafted Darnold. Despite that, he insists Darnold is maintaining a positive attitude.
“To be on the cusp of [an organizational reboot] and have them go, ‘Yeah, that’s not going to be for you, that’s going to be for somebody else’ — no doubt, it’s hard,” McCown said. “But I have not felt any negativity from him at all. He’s always positive and always has a great mindset. That speaks to his character and what he’s about.”
The Jets have the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Most analysts believe they’re going to draft BYU’s Zach Wilson. Should that happen, McCown believes Darnold would be ready to fight for a starting job.
“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,” McCown said. “I think, if that happens, really and truly, everybody wins.”
It was initially believed that the Jets would either trade Darnold or the No. 2 pick, but we recently explained why they may not do either.
Darnold has passed for 45 touchdowns and 39 interceptions in 38 career games. He has dealt with mono, a foot injury and a shoulder injury in his first three seasons and also had to play under Adam Gase. It’s easy to make the argument that he hasn’t reached his full potential, but he’ll have to work to prove that.
