The biggest NFL trade news this week comes from New York, as the Jets have dealt quarterback Sam Darnold, who was the third overall pick in the 2018 draft, to Carolina. After sending Darnold and Jamal Adams away, the Jets now have 21 draft picks coming up in the next two seasons. The last time the team had that many picks in consecutive drafts came in 1997 and 1998, when Bill Parcells took over the team. Of those 21 choices, seven come in Rounds 1 and 2, including the #2 pick this time around. The Jets are expected to take BYU quarterback Zach Wilson with the second pick this time. The Jets are set to rebuild — again — but you can’t say they haven’t stocked picks.
As you think about NFL betting choices in the football this season, let’s take a closer look at what the Jets have done.
NFL News: Hot Trade Update
To be sure, GM Joe Douglas has definitely made himself the master of the team’s development going forward, which means that while he will get the credit if things go well, he will be out on his ear if these picks don’t pan out. Between now and the 2022 draft, of course, he has picks to swap if a high-profile player becomes available via trade. Because of the early deadline, NFL trades did not historically measure up to the blockbuster deals in the other North American pro sports. However, that has changed in recent years.
Douglas has traded three first-round picks now (Leonard Williams and Darnold), none of whom was more than 25 years old. Douglas was looking ahead, getting draft capital instead of inking big extensions (yes, Jerry Jones, Cowboys fans are nodding in your direction right now). He turned three players into eight elite picks, and if you’ve seen the Jets’ fortunes the past few seasons, you know that the Jets did not get a lot in terms of game-winning performance to secure those picks.
How will Sam Darnold respond in Carolina? That is another team on the rebuild, with head coach Matt Rhule entering his second season. Jaime Ortiz, Darnold’s high school coach, said in an interview with ESPN that the trade “is a good move for both the Jets’ franchise and for Sam personally…I just hope, with all of the draft picks, the Jets can finally surround a young QB…with the talent needed to be successful in the NFL.” The not-too-subtle message there, of course, is that the Jets basically hung Sam Darnold out to dry under Adam Gase. It’s hard to argue that Rhule will make the same mistake.
Who would back up Wilson, or perhaps start a few games and mentor Wilson until he is ready to play at NFL speed? Or, perhaps, take some of those back-breaking hits while Wilson learns the game (remember Joe Burrow?)? The Jets brought in journeyman Brian Hoyer to work out. Hoyer is seen as a great “character” guy who would be a terrific mentor for Wilson. However, it would likely not take the boo birds long to get Hoyer to the bench, as Hoyer has lost 17 consecutive starts. It would not be surprising to see the Jets talking to such names as Teddy Bridgewater or Alex Smith, though, because the Jets need a better mentor to start until Wilson is ready and then come back in when Wilson struggles.
One last note — can you think of the last quarterback that the Jets drafted who went on to play in a Pro Bowl as a Jet? No, it’s not Joe Namath. It’s not Vinny Testaverde, who made the Pro Bowl as a Jet but was one of their draft picks. It was Ken O’Brien, who went to the Pro Bowl in 1985; the team picked him in the first round in 1983. Did you know that O’Brien is second on the team’s passing yardage list, behind Broadway Joe? Yes, the quarterback drought has run a long time for the Jets. Maybe, just maybe, Wilson brings that run to an end.
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