A Pivotal Third Season Starts for New York Jets Quarterback Sam Darnold on Sunday

His second year in Adam Gase's system and third year in the NFL sets Sam Darnold up for a very telling season with the New York Jets.

Of the many questions facing the New York Jets this upcoming season, general manager Joe Douglas is counting on his quarterback not being one of them. Darnold enters his third NFL season and the Jets are counting on his ascension to NFL elite.

“I think one of the things that he improved on last year and I touched on it in previous conversations with you guys, is his decision making,” Douglas said Monday in his virtual press conference. “He got to a point in the back half of last year he wasn’t making the same mistakes twice and that’s just a natural growth process for a young quarterback. He’s been in the league for three years and he’s 23 years old, so he’s going through growth much sooner than most quarterbacks his age have gone through in the National Football League.”

The Jets are 11-15 in two years when Darnold starts. He has thrown 36 touchdowns and 28 interceptions and completed 59.9 percent of his passes in two seasons in the NFL. But last season, he finished the season’s final eight games going 6-2. During that stretch, he had 13 touchdowns against four interceptions.

Jets head coach Adam Gase has a lot invested in Darnold. His coaching future could hinge not just on the Jets’ 2020 record, but on the former USC Trogan’s development.

Even if the Jets miss the playoffs again but Darnold shows significant development and growth, then the Jets (and Gase) could call the season a success.

Gase didn’t address Darnold directly in his press conference Monday. He has spoken about his quarterback throughout training camp.

“He’s fired up to go, I know that,” Gase told reporters two weeks ago. “I know he worked extremely hard this offseason, looks great.”

Darnold has drawn rave reviews around the team for a maturity that has been evidenced physically but also in his grasp of the playbook.

“Just watching him, his ability to digest Adam’s playbook and just operate at a quicker pace,” Douglas explained. “There’s just that half-second, quicker decision, quicker release, you see that in training camp and that fires you up.”

Before NFL players could report to training facilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Darnold worked out in California with good friend and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. The two members of the 2018 draft class face off Sunday in the season opener.

Darnold is 2-1 against Allen, although that last game of the 2019 season might need an asterisk as the Bills rested all their starters for most of that game.

“Just seeing him grow, just watching him grow within the offense and then also watch him grow and mature as a person and a leader and not being afraid to have tough conversations and that’s just part of a 23-year-old quarterback becoming a franchise quarterback and maturing into that role and taking on more and more responsibility,” said Douglas.

Darnold and the Jets face Allen and the Bills Sunday at 1 pm in the season opener.