New York Jets: Sam Darnold rehab timeline, medical insight on mono

New York Jets QB Sam Darnold is out for the foreseeable future. Here’s what his rehab timeline is looking like plus some more details from Adam Gase.

In case you missed it, New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold is out for the foreseeable future after being diagnosed with mono.

Adam Gase revealed the news to the media on Thursday morning ahead of the team’s Week 2 matchup vs the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football.

Gase learned the news on Wednesday evening around 10 p.m. and decided to deliver the news in person.

Adam mentioned that he, “wanted to deliver the news right and I figured I could be the bearer of bad news on this one.”

Gase was joined by his offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains and a trainer.

Early in the press conference, a reporter suggested that mono could linger from weeks to even a month, which Gase confirmed before saying, “good thing we have the early bye week.” Which comes in Week 4 ahead of the road trip in Week 5 vs the Philadelphia Eagles on the road.

So what is mono?

“Mononucleosis is an infectious illness that’s sometimes called mono or “the kissing disease.” While you can get the virus that causes it through kissing, you can also get it in other ways like sharing drinks or utensils. It’s extremely contagious,” per Web MD.

People who are infected by mono react in different ways. It could be gone in a few weeks or it could even last months in some cases.

According to Web MD, 85-90 percent of Americans experience mono before they reach the age of 40. Although usually, the infection happens prepubescent.

We spoke with Dr. Jesse Morse an Adult & Pediatric Sports Medicine Doctor and member of The Fantasy Doctors. He revealed some more details about the Darnold case suggesting this will take 21 days just to clear out of his system.

But the real issue the Jets have to monitor is Darnold’s spleen.

Dr. Morse says there’s a risk of “splenic rupture that won’t change regardless of the treatment plan.”

A splenic rupture is an extremely serious medical condition, “that occurs when the capsule-like covering of the spleen breaks open, pouring blood into your abdominal area. Depending on the size of the rupture, a large amount of internal bleeding can occur,” per Web MD.

When someone suffers from mono one of the side effects is an enlarged spleen. Which makes the organ extremely fragile and susceptible to further damage.

So in other words even if Darnold comes back fully healthy from the mono, he could still have an enlarged spleen and thus more likely to rupture.

If Sam received a direct forceful football hit or sack and his spleen ruptured he could be out for even longer than the weeks or even month that was previously discussed.

Although one of the top things the Jets are monitoring is Darnold’s weight loss and extreme levels of fatigue. Gase revealed during the presser that Darnold has lost an alarming amount of weight (five pounds in the last several days).

The fatigue can be so extreme that Sam has issues getting out of bed. On top of that, due to the contagious nature of the disease, Sam will be quarantined in his apartment and won’t be allowed at the facilities.

It looks like Darnold will be out at least a month and we’ll see how he heals and where the Jets are in the season. With the hardest stretch of the schedule starting in Week 2 and running through Week 7 if the season is already lost it’s quite conceivable that Darnold could be out for the season as a precautionary measure.