3 former NY Jets' who fell short of expectations in New York

3. Sam Darnold, QB, NY Jets

Former No. 3 overall selection Sam Darnold hoped to dominate the league from day one as the competition and pressure piled onto the first-round pick quarterbacks drafted in 2018.

Four years later, however, Darnold would be the fourth-worst out of the five quarterbacks drafted, with the former No.1 overall quarterback, Baker Mayfield, favored to win the job over him in Carolina.

But where did it all go wrong?

Darnold would sign a four-year deal worth $30.25 million fully guaranteed featuring a $20 million signing bonus with the Jets after being drafted at the No. 3 overall pick.

In his first season in the league, he would struggle, throwing for 2,865 passing yards to go alongside 17 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He only completed 57.7 percent of his passes and had a 4-9 record on the season.

Injuries already pressured down on his career as in his rookie season he missed three games due to a foot injury. Heading into his second season in the league Darnold gained Le'Veon Bell as his starting running back, adding to his arsenal of weapons on offense.

Not only in his second season did he have Le'Veon Bell added, but the Jets had wideouts Robby Anderson, Jamison Crowder, and Demaryius Thomas who added tremendous talent for the young quarterback.

Darnold would increase his record to 7-6 after playing 13 games in his sophomore season. He recorded 3,024 passing yards and 19 touchdowns on a 61.9 completion percentage.

The outlier however was the influx of turnovers he experienced. He turned the ball over 13 times through the air and committed 11 fumbles for a combined total of 24 turnovers on the season.

He also missed three games in the 2019 season, once again due to health issues. This time he was diagnosed with mononucleosis. After another disappointing season in his sophomore campaign, the Jets hoped that the 2020 NFL season would be where Darnold learned from his mistakes and took a leap.

Well, once again he would fall short of expectations.

His record went from 7-6 in the previous season, to 2-10 after playing just 12 games in the 2020 NFL season. When it comes to passing, he had a career-low 2,208 yards to go alongside nine passing touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Darnold once more committed more turnovers than touchdowns having 11 through the air and four fumbles for a total of 15 on the year. He missed a total of four games due to a nagging shoulder injury.

Over the course of his three-year career with New York, he threw 39 interceptions, had 20 fumbles, and a 41.5 quarterback rating.

The NY Jets front office finally had enough, and on April 5th, 2021, he was traded for a 2021 second and sixth-round pick, and a 2022 fourth-rounder.