Sam Darnold Wants to Be Jet for Life

The New York Jets have given the fans virtually nothing to be excited about this season. After losing a franchise-record 13th-straight game, fans have their eyes on the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft and Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

It’s fair to say in his three seasons with the Jets, current quarterback Sam Darnold, who was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, has not improved nearly as much as others in his draft class. Look at Josh Allen (No. 7 overall) and Lamar Jackson (No. 32 overall). Allen has made huge strides since his NFL debut and has a record of 25-15 over the three years. Jackson was named league MVP last season and has led the Baltimore Ravens to a 26-7 record since entering the league.

On the other hand, Darnold sits at 11-24 in three seasons with the Jets. And he is showing few signs of improvement. In fact, the quarterback continues to struggle with his vision of the football field and does not protect the football, resulting in costly turnovers.

Darnold has not surpassed 200 yards in five straight games and only has five touchdowns with nine interceptions this season. He has fumbled the ball the ball three times — twice in the 31-28 loss to the Oakland Raiders, a game in which he also threw an interception.

Across the NFL, Darnold ranks No. 32 of 33 quarterbacks in QBR with a 36.5, only sitting ahead of Alex Smith (35.4 QBR), per ESPN.

The winless Jets are currently atop the board to land the first pick in the draft, per Tankathon.

Still, the Jaguars, who have not won since week one, remain just one game behind in the race for No. 1 and a new quarterback.

But Darnold wants to remain a Jet, he said in a press conference today, per Dennis Waszak Jr., AP Sports pro football writer.

In fact, when he was asked about whether changing scenery may help him, Darnold said, “I love it here. I love the people here. I love living here. I’ve always said it, that I want to be a Jet for life. But again, that decision isn’t up to me.”

And that’s the truth of the matter. Darnold will suit up for the Jets for three more games and still has one year left on his contract, but it could be likely he is on the move as the Jets go through a complete rebuild next year.

(Photo: Jets Wire/ USA Today)