Jets Will Evaluate 2021 QB Draft Class Before Deciding On Potential Sam Darnold Trade

According to Ian Rapoport, the Jets plan to complete their evaluations of the top quarterbacks in the 2021 draft class before deciding if they will trade QB Sam Darnold. 

Sam Darnold” width=”300″ height=”200″>

Rapoport says the Jets have received real interest in Darnold but they want to get a sense of the full picture first.

With the No. 2 pick in April’s draft, the Jets are in prime position to take the best quarterback not named Trevor Lawrence. 

That list includes Ohio State’s Justin Fields, BYU’s Zach Wilson and potentially North Dakota State’s Trey Lance.

The Jets could also likely get a haul from another team trading up to select one of those players, which would help them build the team around Darnold if they decide to keep him. 

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes the Jets probably won’t have a firm answer on which way they’re leaning until the end of March at the absolute earliest when they’ve had the chance to attend pro days for that batch of quarterbacks. 

With trades completed for Matthew Stafford and Carson Wentz, Darnold becomes the next-highest profile QB reportedly available this offseason, at least until when/if the Texans relent on their stance with QB Deshaun Watson.

However, this seems to indicate any potential Darnold trade is still some time away. 

Darnold, 23, is a former first-round pick of the Jets back in 2018. He’s currently in the third year of his four-year, $30,370,490 contract with the Jets that included a $20,167,628 signing bonus.

The contract will also include a fifth-year option for the Jets to pick up in 2021.

In 2020, Darnold has appeared in 10 games for the Jets and completed 59.7 percent of his passes for 1,767 yards, six touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has also rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns.

We’ll have more on Darnold and the Jets as the news is available.