Sam Darnold was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and is still early in his development as a professional quarterback. And while he may generate trade interest, he probably wouldn’t fetch as big of a return as one might think.
Darnold was inactive for the New York Jets’ game against the New England Patriots on Monday night due to his shoulder injury.
Prior to the game, ESPN’s “Countdown” crew talked about Darnold’s possible trade stock. Adam Schefter said that when he checked around, he found that the trade return for Darnold would not be so great.
“There is definite interest, but it’s probably not as high as I thought,” Schefter said. “I think they get back maybe what the Arizona Cardinals got back for Josh Rosen — a two and a five. Some combination like that. That was the sense that I got from talking with a variety of front office executives.”
Rosen was the No. 10 overall pick in the same draft as Darnold. When Arizona traded Rosen to the Dolphins in 2019 so that they could take Kyler Murray No. 1 overall, they received a late second-round pick and fifth-round pick in return. That turned out to be an overpayment by Miami, as Rosen was cut a year later and is now on Tampa Bay’s practice squad.
Darnold has had some impressive plays here and there and broken through for a good game or two, but he has mostly been below-average in his first three seasons. Some teams might believe that playing for Adam Gase and dealing with mono and other injuries have inhibited his development and could be inclined to give him a look.
This is a big change in the way Darnold has been viewed. Reports said before the season that the young QB was looking great.
