Has Sam Darnold Just Saved His Career?

By Darragh Holland

Just a few weeks back in Week 13, the New York Jets Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams made one of the worst calls in NFL history when he decided to blitz Las Vegas Raiders QB Derek Carr when all they needed to do was play it safe. The Jets gave up a touchdown to lose the game and Williams lost his job the next day.

Sam Darnold (Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post)

Many felt that the Jets had just blown their best chance for a victory this season and that they were on the home stretch to secure Trevor Lawrence as the number one overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft.

Well, how things have changed since then. 

Following a bad defeat to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 14, the Jets have since won two massive games against two playoff contenders in the LA Rams and Cleveland Browns.

In those two games, QB Sam Darnold went 38/63 for 382 yards with three TDs and no interceptions. He also ran for 38 yards, including a great run for a first down in the second quarter against the Browns in which he burst through a Browns linebacker to gain the first down.

The Jets will now most likely pick second in the draft and will have to decide between selecting another quarterback like Justin Fields or going with a totally different position and sticking with Darnold as their QB of the future.

Darnold was the third overall pick out of USC in the 2018 draft, which means he now has three seasons under his belt as an NFL quarterback.

In his previous two seasons with the Jets, they have gone 4-12 and 7-9 before having a disastrous season this year.

Darnold himself has thrown 44 TDs to 37 picks, so nearly the same amount of TDs to picks, which is never good news for a quarterback.

Due to injuries and COVID-19, he is yet to actually play 16 games in a season, so his NFL record now sits at 13-24 as a starter.

It’s easy to forget that he is actually younger than Cincinnati Bengals Quarterback Joe Burrows, who is in his rookie season. Considering how bad the Jets have been, there is a lot to be said for giving him more of an opportunity.

Ryan Tannehill’s career looked to be dead and buried with the Miami Dolphins until the Tennessee Titans gave him another chance. He led them to the AFC title game last year and are now one win away from winning their division this year.

Baker Mayfield, who was selected two spots ahead of Darnold with the first overall pick in the 2018 draft, has also come under a lot of criticism during his time with the Cleveland Browns.

While both QBs still have a lot to prove, there is no doubting they have improved and won’t be replaced by another QB in this year's draft.

Baker Mayfield and Adam Darnold were selected first and third overall, respectively. (Bill Kostroun/Associated Press)

Mayfield is also two years older than Darnold. Even though they were in the same draft class, Darnold entered the NFL at a younger age than most quarterbacks and has had a steep learning curve playing for a team like the Jets.

If the Jets can play next season more like they did the last two games, then maybe Darnold could become their QB for the future.

This is a decision the Jets need to get right, as both the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills look like teams that are going to be competitive for a long time to come. And as long as Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels are in New England, we will also assume the Patriots will bounce back much stronger next year, meaning that the AFC East could easily become one of the strongest divisions in football. As a result, the New York Jets need to have a quarterback they can rely on to help them compete with this talented division.

While their Week 17 game in New England against the 6-8 Patriots won’t excite many NFL fans, it is going to be the biggest game of Sam Darnold’s career and could make the difference between the Jets putting their faith in Darnold for the future, or going in a completely different direction altogether.

Darragh is a sports writer for La Tonique.