The NY Jets should pull the trigger on a Sam Darnold trade this offseason

The NY Jets should pull the trigger on a Sam Darnold trade this offseason.

The 2020 season didn’t go as planned for Sam Darnold or the NY Jets. The dreadful 2020 season ended a week ago, after a 28-14 loss to the New England Patriots.

Nothing went well for New York this season, especially Darnold. He had his worst professional season, and now he stands a very good chance of losing his job this offseason.

Darnold finished his 2020 campaign throwing for just nine touchdowns to 11 interceptions. The 23-year-old only completed 59 percent of his passes and a sub-par 6.1 yards per attempt. He ranked last in QBR, with a horrible 40.7 rating.

Darnold doesn’t deserve all the blame. The Jets didn’t surround Darnold with the playmakers and coaching that he needed but he didn’t show enough to keep his job.

In his first three years, Darnold has been extremely inconsistent. He only averaged 184 yards per game this past season and at times looked like nothing more than a game manager.

Darnold regressed drastically this season. His mechanics, pocket awareness, and decision making did not improve under former head coach Adam Gase and that became painfully obvious as the months went on.

Darnold still makes terrible decisions that led to awful interceptions. He also missed a stretch of games for the third straight season — he’s yet to put together a 16-game season.

The former No. 3 overall pick will be going into his fourth year in 2021. The Jets would have to decide if they want to pick up his fifth-year option which will be worth up to $25 million. Sticking with Darnold would be an unnecessary financial risk.

The NY Jets would be taking a financial risk keeping Sam Darnold

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported last week that the Jets are expected to make a big trade this offseason. That move should be trading Darnold.

The Jets should draft either Justin Fields or Zach Wilson with the second pick and make him their franchise quarterback of the future. Both young quarterbacks have the tools to be successful at the next level.

According to Matt Miller, there will be at least 10 teams interested in Darnold. Darnold has many fans around the league and would benefit from a change of scenery.

Toward the end of the year, Darnold looked like a player who lost all his confidence. Going to a new environment would give him a breath of fresh air and a new start.

New York will likely receive a second-rounder and Day 3 pick for Darnold if they were to trade him. That would give the Jets six picks in the first three rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft.

This gives Joe Douglas and the new head coach a lot of flexibility to turn this ship around. Douglas would have the assets to surround his new franchise quarterback while having him on a rookie deal.

It’s best for both sides if they go in different directions this offseason. Sadly, Darnold hasn’t shown enough to stay in New York.