Jets Are Reportedly Listening to Trade Offers For Sam Darnold

The New York Jets are reportedly listening to trade offers from multiple teams for quarterback Sam Darnold. The Jets may trade for Houston Texans Deshaun Watson

Multiple teams have reportedly reached out to the Jets, expressing interest in trading for quarterback Sam Darnold.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, New York isn't turning away those phone calls, beginning to sift through potential offers to figure out what route the organization should take going forward. 

While the Jets didn't confirm to Schefter that they had been contacted about their 23-year-old quarterback, the NFL insider's sources told him a different story. 

"The Jets haven't turned away the calls, per sources, but they also haven't made any final and firm quarterback decisions about which direction they want to or are ready to go," Schefter wrote.

Adam Schefter: Jets Can Get First-Round Pick Back in Trade For Sam Darnold

New York has plenty of options as to how they can move forward at the quarterback position, all of which run through Darnold. They can trade him, seeking out compensation they could use down the road to acquire a different quarterback (like Deshaun Watson, for instance) or use the No. 2 pick of the NFL draft to start fresh with a rookie. Either way, if Darnold isn't the answer at quarterback, general manager Joe Douglas will be seeking a way to trade him for some picks in return. 

Schefter explained that the quarterback market is moving quickly this offseason. With Matthew Stafford's trade last week in the books, and Eagles' signal-caller Carson Wentz expected to be moved soon, Schefter thinks the Jets won't be far behind in making a quarterback decision of their own. Schefter thinks it'll be a decision that "will have leaguewide ramifications."

Darnold's third NFL season consisted of a lingering shoulder injury and an overall regression. Not only did the Jets win only two games, but he struggled mightily. Some of the blame can be placed on his supporting cast, and widespread injuries that limited the amount of weapons at Darnold's disposal, but finishing the campaign with the worst QBR (40.2) and passer rating (72.7) among qualifying quarterbacks doesn't help his case.

Even if his numbers haven't been great, many believe Darnold can turn his career around and be a starter in this league for years to come if he's in the right system. Whether that's with the Jets and new coach Robert Saleh or somewhere else remains to be seen.

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Jets for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. He also covers the New York Yankees, publisher  of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Yankees site, Inside The Pinstripes. Before starting out with SI, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. While at school, Goodman gathered valuable experience as an anchor and reporter on NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. Goodman previously interned at MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman and connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.