Jets must make 2020 prove it year for Darnold as 2021 QB class looms
Go get your guy
The Jets are unlikely to want to pay Sam Darnold $25 Million if his poor play continues and the team enters a full scale rebuild under Joe Douglas. An interesting aspect of this scenario is that New York must decide whether or not to pick up Darnold’s fifth year option after the season. Picking it up would make Darnold much easier to trade.
The Jets should do everything possible to avoid being in the situation that their division rival Miami Dolphins were in just two years ago. Miami extended Ryan Tannehill in 2015, hoping that he would eventually become a star. Miami surrounded him with over priced veterans and hired coaches to “fix” him as opposed to building naturally.
Unfortunately, the Jets are very close to being in that spot. They have expensive veterans at non-premium spots like linebacker and running back. They also hired Gase because he’s an offensive mind instead of just hiring the best coach available. The final step would be to give Darnold the massive extension. Once again, they should not give him an extension without him proving that he is actually worth that salary.
Next. 2021 NFL Draft: Justin Fields has enticing room to grow. dark
Drafting a quarterback in 2021 gives the Jets options. They can sit the rookie behind Darnold in 2021 and then trade Darnold with one year left on his deal. They could also trade him before the draft to acquire as much capital as possible to trade up for pick number one. Doing this allows them to go get their guy instead of letting one fall to them. They can undo their horrible mistake of 2018 by being aggressive.