Jets Could Reunite With Disappointing Former No. 3 Pick If Aaron Rodgers Leaves
If Aaron Rodgers leaves the New York Jets, who is New York’s best plan B at QB?
Rodgers’ future in green remains uncertain. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer may even retire.
If Rodgers has indeed played his last game for the Jets, New York should begin a new era with a quarterback in the prime of his career — someone who can play five to 10 years in a Jets uniform and really build something with the new head coach and GM.
Ironically, a former No. 3 overall pick by the Jets could be the right guy to bring in.
27-year-old Sam Darnold of the Minnesota Vikings is set to hit free agency this offseason, lining up a possible return to New York.
The Jets threw Darnold right into the fire early in his career, and the results were disappointing. Darnold won just 13 of his 38 starts as a Jet before New York shipped him off to the Carolina Panthers.
But Darnold’s “failures” in a Jets uniform shouldn’t be judged too harshly. It’s rare that a QB in his early twenties steps onto the NFL gridiron and finds immediate success.
Darnold has proven his worth in a Minnesota Vikings uniform this season. And despite ending the season poorly, Darnold could be in line for a new contract similar to Baker Mayfield’s, per a new report from Bleacher Report’s Scott Polacek.
“Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold picked a less-than-ideal time to revert back to his old form in his team's final two games of the season,” Polacek said.
“But he still could be in line for significant money in free agency.”
“ESPN's Jeremy Fowler … pointed out "he's still the top free-agent quarterback" who was never going to get a contract that paid him approximately $50 million annually. Fowler admitted his final two games "don't help" but also said teams have "forecasted him in Geno Smith/Baker Mayfield weight class of contracts."
According to Polacek, Darnold will be coveted by multiple NFL teams looking to fill a need at QB, including those who are thinking about drafting one in the first round.
“It was just last month that The Athletic's Zak Keefer reported some teams around the league thought giving Darnold a contract worth $40 million annually would be a "better bet" than drafting a rookie in the incoming 2025 class,” Polacek said.
“Any of those figures would represent a raise for Darnold, who signed with the Vikings for one year and $10 million ahead of the 2024 campaign.”
“Darnold surpassed all realistic expectations with Minnesota as a Pro Bowler who led the team to a 14-3 record and playoff spot while completing 66.2 percent of his passes for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.”
“The Vikings could always look to franchise tag him, but he might instead hit free agency in search of a new deal.”
As the Jets await Rodgers’ decision, they should be closely monitoring the Darnold situation.
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