The New York Jets said earlier in the offseason that they are willing to listen to trade offers for Sam Darnold, but there has been no indication to this point that the quarterback is going anywhere. It sounds like there are a few reasons for that.
ESPN’s Kimberley A. Martin said on “Get Up!” Monday morning that she spoke with three NFL general managers about the trade market for Darnold, and they all said they would not be willing to give up more than a third-round pick. One of the reasons for that is Darnold could turn out to be a one-year rental. In order to keep him for two seasons without re-signing him, a team would have to pick up the nearly $19 million fifth-year option on Darnold’s rookie contract.
… I was repeatedly told whoever trades for Darnold likely won’t pick up his option this spring. So, you’d only have a year of him in a new org, in a new system, working w/ new teammates while he’s trying to figure it all out *and* the team is trying to work out his bad habits
— Kimberley A. Martin (@ByKimberleyA) March 29, 2021
The Jets may have an unrealistic price tag attached to Darnold. That could be a factor in the former USC star’s trade market.
There was a belief at one point that the Jets would either trade Darnold or the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, but that may not be their plan. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, keeping Darnold and drafting a quarterback at No. 2 is not out of the question.
One thing that's gone underplayed with Sam Darnold: I'm told keeping Darnold AND drafting a QB at 2 is not totally off the table. Jets have truly gone into this offseason with every option in consideration, and there's still legit sentiment for Darnold's skill set in the building
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 29, 2021
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. But even with all that, it is clear some teams do not think very highly of Darnold.
