The Jets won’t have to wait very long to see their former quarterback, Sam Darnold.
The team announced Wednesday morning that it will play Darnold and the Carolina Panthers on the road in Week 1 of the 2021 regular season. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST on Sunday, Sept. 12, on CBS.
Robert Saleh will make his Jets head coaching debut against Matt Rhule, who almost became New York’s head coach in 2019 before the organization hired Adam Gase. The game could also be the debut of Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson.
The Jets traded Darnold to the Panthers last month in exchange for a 2021 sixth-round pick, a 2022 second-round pick and a 2022 fourth-round pick. New York faced a huge decision this offseason: keep Darnold or draft a new quarterback. In the end, Joe Douglas decided to draft Wilson, allowing the Jets to hit the reset button financially at quarterback.
Darnold was drafted by the Jets in 2018 out of USC with the expectation of being their future franchise quarterback. However, it didn’t work out that way, as Darnold’s three years in New York were underwhelming. He received little to no support in terms of playmakers and a stable offensive line. He also dealt with poor coaching and ever-changing schemes and staffs between Todd Bowles and Gase.
Of course, Darnold often struggled on his own as well. In 38 career starts, he had a 13-25 record, including a 2-10 mark in 2020. Darnold has a 59.8 percent completion percentage to go along with 8,097 yards, 45 touchdowns, and 39 touchdowns.
The Jets will also pay a visit to Robby Anderson for the first time since letting him walk in free agency after the 2019 season. Anderson never recorded a 1,000-yard season in his four years with the Jets but immediately did so in his first season with the Panthers.
This won’t be the first time that the Jets play a recently traded player’s team in the season opener. The Jets played Darrelle Revis and the Buccaneers in Week 1 of the 2013 season after Revis was traded to Tampa Bay the previous offseason.
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