{"id":99739,"date":"2020-12-14T21:29:36","date_gmt":"2020-12-15T02:29:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=99739"},"modified":"2021-05-30T20:52:23","modified_gmt":"2021-05-31T00:52:23","slug":"new-england-patriots-2021-quarterback-targets-sam-darnold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2020\/12\/14\/new-england-patriots-2021-quarterback-targets-sam-darnold\/","title":{"rendered":"New England Patriots 2021 Quarterback Targets: Sam Darnold"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/nfl-teams2\/patriots\/\" target=\"_self\">New England Patriots<\/a> will have to make a hard decision at quarterback in the coming weeks. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=NewtCa00,NewtCa20&amp;search=Cam+Newton&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cam Newton<\/a><\/strong> had plenty of high and low moments during his first season in New England, and there is a chance the organization moves on after this year. Even if New England brings him back, Newton wouldn\u2019t be anything more than a bridge quarterback. If the Patriots want to look for someone that could be the long-term answer, they might turn towards <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/D\/DarnSa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sam Darnold<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2020\/12\/10\/carson-wentz-new-england-patriots-no-sense\/\" target=\"_self\"><strong>Patriots Quarterback Targets: Carson Wentz<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Sam Darnold: New England Patriots 2021 Quarterback Targets<\/h2>\n<h3>Why the Patriots Might Want Him<\/h3>\n<p>Based on what he did in college, Sam Darnold has the potential to be a legitimate franchise quarterback. During his time at USC, Darnold impressed with his coveted combination of accuracy and arm strength. While he wasn&#8217;t the most consistent, the high-end plays were enough to make him the third-overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n<p>As a professional, Darnold\u2019s NFL career has left a lot to be desired. However, every now and again you do see the talent that made him so intriguing all those years ago. The big-play potential is still there, although it doesn\u2019t come out as often as you\u2019d like.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Sam Darnold dances in the pocket and hits <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HNYNUT_BERRIOS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@HNYNUT_BERRIOS<\/a> for a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nyjets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@nyjets<\/a> touchdown! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/TakeFlight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#TakeFlight<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcfa: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NYJvsIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#NYJvsIND<\/a> on CBS<br \/>\ud83d\udcf1: NFL app \/\/ Yahoo Sports app:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/9RobDGGsOD\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/9RobDGGsOD<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ononGvstpm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/ononGvstpm<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NFL (@NFL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NFL\/status\/1310315098179739648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 27, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Normally after three years, quarterbacks are who they are. Generally speaking, quarterbacks don\u2019t take a massive leap after this long in the NFL. However, there is reason to believe that Darnold could be an outlier and salvage his career down the road.<\/p>\n<p>The New York Jets are a mess of a franchise, and Darnold has had to deal with arguably the worst situation in football over the past three years. Since entering the league, Darnold\u2019s best offensive weapon has been <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/A\/AndeRo04.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Robby Anderson<\/a><\/strong> and his offensive-minded head coach is <strong>Adam Gase<\/strong>. While New England isn\u2019t exactly overflowing with playmakers, <strong>Bill Belichick<\/strong> is much, much better coach than Adam Gase. Quarterbacks are not immune to a poor situation, and nobody\u2019s had it worse than Darnold.<\/p>\n<h3>Why New England Might Say No<\/h3>\n<p>Even when accounting for the poor situation, Sam Darnold has been bad as an NFL quarterback. Since Darnold entered the league in 2018, 27 quarterbacks have played 1,000 or more snaps. Of those 27, Darnold ranks 27<sup>th<\/sup> in EPA+CPOE index, 27<sup>th<\/sup> in EPA\/play, and 26<sup>th<\/sup> in CPOE.<\/p>\n<p>The overall numbers are not good, and he hasn\u2019t shown any signs of improvement since entering the league. Of the 33 quarterbacks that played 250 snaps in 2020, Darnold ranks 33<sup>rd<\/sup> in EPA+CPOE, 33<sup>rd<\/sup> in EPA, and 32<sup>nd<\/sup> in CPOE. The film isn\u2019t any better, as PFF\u2019s tape-based grading system has Darnold ranked 38<sup>th<\/sup> out of 39 eligible quarterbacks. Even the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FourVerts\/status\/1338596578072948741?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">conventional numbers show<\/a> that Darnold is having an especially bad year.<\/p>\n<p>The situation limits Darnold\u2019s overall ceiling, but you\u2019d like to see more signs of life out of a potential franchise quarterback. Making the situation even worse is the fact that <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/F\/FlacJo00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joe Flacco<\/a><\/strong> has outplayed Darnold by just about every measure. While it\u2019s admittedly a relatively small sample of 161 plays, Flacco has Darnold beat in EPA+CPOE, EPA\/play, CPOE, and PFF grade. It\u2019s understandable why Darnold can\u2019t play like an All-Pro in New York, but it\u2019s harder to explain why he can\u2019t outplay an age-35 Joe Flacco.<\/p>\n<h3>How Could the Patriots Get Sam Darnold<\/h3>\n<p>The New York Jets are on a collision course with the first-overall pick, which means that Sam Darnold is going to be on the trading block. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2020\/11\/11\/if-trevor-lawrence-spurns-the-new-york-jets-whats-next\/\" target=\"_self\"><strong>Trevor Lawrence<\/strong><\/a> is the best quarterback prospect in quite some time, and Darnold isn\u2019t good enough to stop the Jets from drafting the Clemson product.<\/p>\n<p>Darnold won\u2019t be a Jet in 2021, but it\u2019s hard to imagine the Jets cutting him. As a former top-three pick at the NFL\u2019s most important position, Darnold still has some trade value and will probably have a market. The Patriots are far from the only quarterback-needy team out there, and there are only so many draft prospects to go around.<\/p>\n<p>While it\u2019s impossible to know Darnold\u2019s exact market, we can use <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/R\/RoseJo01.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Josh Rosen<\/a><\/strong> as a comparison. Like Darnold, Rosen was a 2018 top-10 pick that failed in a terrible situation. The Cardinals held the top pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and decided to move on from Rosen after just one season. That move paid off, as the Cardinals selected <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/M\/MurrKy00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyler Murray<\/a><\/strong> with the first-overall pick and traded Rosen for a second-round pick.<\/p>\n<p>Chances are, the Patriots would need to give up a second-round pick to acquire Darnold\u2019s services. Quite frankly, that\u2019s probably a little too rich for a quarterback that hasn\u2019t done much of anything on the NFL level. Instead of trading a Day 2 pick for Darnold, the Patriots should invest that pick in a quarterback to compete with <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/S\/StidJa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jarrett Stidham<\/a><\/strong> and\/or Cam Newton.<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2020\/12\/10\/carson-wentz-new-england-patriots-no-sense\/\" target=\"_self\"><strong>Patriots Quarterback Targets: Carson Wentz<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Main photo:<br \/>\n<a id=\"MOccWDDXQ0V1dwt1YP4kKw\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1184739784\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'MOccWDDXQ0V1dwt1YP4kKw',sig:'PHzF0TYJCzkO0eyh_bmhGjhAsZhWdvJogeM_wASHW9Y=',w:'594px',h:'384px',items:'1184739784',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The New England Patriots could use a new quarterback. Should they try to swing a trade for former first-round pick Sam Darnold?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2376,"featured_media":99741,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[430,367,248,61,4068,235,38,40,221,1535],"class_list":["post-99739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-patriots","tag-bill-belichick","tag-cam-newton","tag-carson-wentz","tag-football","tag-jarrett-stidham","tag-joe-flacco","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-nfl","tag-robby-anderson","tag-sam-darnold"],"modified_by":"David Latham, Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2376"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99739"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99739\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}