Far Removed From Jets, Sam Darnold Makes Super Bowl

Former No. 3 overall pick Sam Darnold planned on leading the New York Jets to the Super Bowl. Instead, he's there as a backup on the San Francisco 49ers.

When it comes to the New York Jets and Super Bowl quarterbacks, the list is, um, tidy.

Joe Namath.

The end.

In the 55 years since Namath led the Jets to the historic upset of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, New York has started a staggering 46 different quarterbacks. End result: Only 10 playoff wins. None past the Divisional Round.

Shockingly (wink), none of the experiments worked: Not Pat Ryan or Glenn Foley or Chad Pennington or Quincy Carter or Brett Favre or Michael Vick or Ryan Fitzpatrick or Zach Wilson or Tim Boyle or ... You get the point.

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(Hey, Aaron Rodgers does have the NFL's 10th-best selling jersey so hooray for small victories!)

That unfathomable flight of futility will be highlighted again this weekend when Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs and Brock Purdy's San Francisco 49ers play in Super Bowl LVIII.

Mahomes was drafted 10th overall in 2017; Purdy 262nd in 2022. Hope you're sitting down: The Jets selected Sam Darnold higher than both of them, No. 3 overall in 2018.

As Purdy's backup, Darnold is set to play in his first Super Bowl. It's just far, far removed from Gang Green.

"I always envisioned going deep in the playoffs with New York and being able to make a run at the Super Bowl,” Darnold told the New York Post this week in Las Vegas.

Drafted out of Southern Cal, Darnold signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Jets and immediately flopped. His first pass in the NFL - on Monday Night Football - was intercepted and returned for a touchdown.

After underwhelming three seasons with the Jets in which he went 13-25 and threw almost as many interceptions (39) as touchdowns (45), Darnold was traded to the Panthers for three draft picks. He started 17 games in two seasons for Carolina before his contract wasn't renewed and he signed as a backup for the 49ers last offseason.

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“Obviously, playing in a Super Bowl is what you dream of as a kid," Darnold said. "Right when I got drafted by the Jets, and still to this day it’s my goal to be able to bring a championship somewhere. At the same time, you kind of understand what it takes, even in the backup role like I am right now you understand what it takes to actually make it here and actually get it done and not just dream of it and envision it. It’s a lot of hard work, a lot of sacrifice.”

The Jets' 55-year Super Bowl drought is the NFL's second-longest behind only the Detroit Lions (58). Seeing Darnold win a ring - even as a backup - would make the emptiness feel that much more, well, empty.

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