FLORHAM PARK, NJ – Joe Douglas, general manager of the New York Jets, explained the biggest trade in his two-year tenure.
“I think it’s safe to say that if we had chosen a little later, we would not be having this discussion now,” Douglas told reporters during a Zoom call on Tuesday. “We’ll feel comfortable moving forward with Sam.”
The Jets, who picked second in the April 29 NFL draft, swapped Darnold for the Carolina Panthers for three drafts – a choice from the sixth round of 2021, plus the second and fourth rounds of 2022.
At No. 2, the Jets are expected to select BYU fullback Zach Wilson.
Douglas underestimated the possibility of trading the choice. He acknowledged the obvious and said that they are in a quarter. But he will not say which one, and insists that the final decision has yet to be made.
“We feel really good about the draft class as a whole and specifically the quarterback class,” Douglas said. “It was an opportunity to push the reset button, so to speak, financially.”
That was a big factor, sources said.
The second choice in the draft has a four-year contract worth $ 35 million, which is fully guaranteed – a fixed cost that will allow financial flexibility in the coming years. Meanwhile, Darnold would count $ 9.8 million in the final year of his rookie contract. The Jets could use its fifth-year option for 2022, but the cost would be $ 18.9 million.
That would be $ 28.7 million in two years compared to $ 35 million for four. There’s also a $ 5 million cap for Darnold’s trading.
Though Douglas was complimenting Darnold, the organization believes it will find an upgrade with the second choice. Darnold, who was drafted third overall in 2018, did not live up to expectations and was the league’s lowest scorer over the past three seasons.
Douglas admitted that the Jets did not do enough to help Darnold, saying they should surround the next quarter with talent better.
The team toyed with the idea of retaining Darnold and pairing him with a rookie, Douglas confirmed. Eventually, the Jets decided that this would be a distraction for all parties.
‘In the end, it would not be the best situation for Sam, for the rookie quarter, for the coach [Robert] Saleh and his staff and the locker room, “Douglas said. We feel it is the best decision for the entire organization to proceed by pressing the reset button. “
Douglas said he had “talks with many teams”, including the Panthers, about the second choice, but that he would not describe any of the discussions as meaningful.
The plan is to stay at number 2 and pick a quarterback. If one upset is ruled out, it will be Wilson. If they had opted for the 12-to-14 series, they would have rolled with Darnold, the GM said.
‘Based on the decision we made [Monday]”Douglas said,” you can see the direction we’re heading. “