Quarterback Sam Darnold’s days as the franchise quarterback of the New York Jets have come to an abrupt end. The 23 year old will now look to revitalize his career with the Carolina Panthers. The two teams agreed to a deal today, sending Darnold to Carolina in exchange for a 2021 sixth round pick, a 2022 second round pick and a 2022 fourth round pick.
Filed to ESPN: Jets trading QB Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers for a 2021 sixth-round pick and second- and fourth-round picks in 2022, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 5, 2021
Carolina Panthers Trade for Quarterback Sam Darnold
Darnold’s three seasons with the New York Jets showed potential at first, but fizzled as time went on. With inadequate coaching and supporting cast the majority of his tenure, it’s tough to determine whether Darnold is a capable NFL quarterback just yet. Darnold shoulders some of the blame throwing 39 interceptions in 38 games as a pro. He has some major work to do as a decision maker. However, the Panthers brass clearly think the potential is worth the risk. Even with current quarterback Teddy Bridgewater under contract, the Panthers still think Darnold is possibly an upgrade, worth giving up draft capital for.
In Carolina, Sam Darnold joins running back Christian McCaffery, wide receiver D.J. Moore and head coach Matt Rhule. Potentially, creating an above-average offensive team. Without playing a snap, this is Darnold’s best situation he has been in, his entire career.
On the Jets side of things, they have been rumored to be locked in on BYU quarterback Zach Wilson with the number two pick in the 2021 draft. Getting draft capital for Darnold is a win for the Jets. As they were, locked in on moving on after the 2020 season. The hope in Jets land is that the new brass, can put Wilson in a much better situation. Moving on from Darnold now isn’t a total disaster, as the Jets reclaimed some draft capital and get to land a new face of the franchise.
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