Just when you thought Sam Darnold’s injury plagued season was over, it turned out he needed to undergo one more procedure.
According to the New York Post’s Brian Costello, Darnold underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair a ligament in his left thumb. He Darnold is not expected to miss any time in the offseason.
The initial injury occurred in Week 8 against the Jaguars, but Darnold was able to play through it for the rest of the season. He did have to wear a brace under a glove on his left hand and it did affect his ball handling skills at times. Sometimes on handoffs, Darnold would use two hands rather than one.
Darnold didn’t think he’d need surgery when he met with reporters at the end of the season. Following further testing on the thumb, team doctors determined surgery would be required.
Former Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick had a similar injury as Darnold in 2015 and only missed nine days, so this is not a serious procedure for Darnold.
For Darnold, his sophomore season was ridiculed by injuries. It started off with mononucleosis that had him out for about a month. Darnold also battled through bruised ribs, a bum ankle, knee issues and the thumb injury. In 13 games, Darnold was able to throw for over 3,000 yards, 19 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
The Jets don’t begin offseason workouts until April, so Darnold has plenty of time to heal and get ready for his third season in the NFL.