The Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes are heating up as the Jets’ record continues to trend in the wrong direction. The speculation over the Clemson quarterback’s future in New York has now become loud enough for Sam Darnold to hear.
With the Jets at 0-6, they control their own destiny to land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Many believe the Jets would take Lawrence and move on from Darnold if they had the top pick in the draft come April. While Darnold has heard the outside noise, he’s keeping his focus on Sunday’s game against the Bills.
“Yeah, you know, I mean, I have social media,” Darnold said of the Lawrence talk, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini. “I’ve seen some of the things, but … Yeah, we’ve got a game to win this week and that’s all we’re worried about.”
There’s not much else Darnold can really do right now. If the Jets decide to go in a different direction this offseason, there should be other teams interested in his potential. The remainder of the 2020 season could serve as an evaluation period for him when it comes to attracting other teams.
“For me, it’s out of my control,” Darnold said. “I’m here to do my best and help this team win games.”
Darnold has been put in one of the worst situations in the NFL. The supporting cast around him has been lackluster through his three NFL seasons and not many quarterbacks can do well with the Jets have given Darnold. The coaching around him hasn’t been great, either.
In Darnold’s rookie year, he had a defensive-minded head coach in Todd Bowles. The Jets then brought in Adam Gase specifically to develop Darnold, but that has completely backfired. If anything, Darnold has regressed under Gase since he’s arrived. In four games this year, Darnold’s yards per game (198), quarterback rating (70.7) and completion percentage (59.4 percent) are all down from last year.
Despite the numbers, offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains isn’t concerned with Darnold’s performance.
“Sam is the least of our worries,” he said, per Newsday’s Al Lannazzone.
However, if Darnold doesn’t start showing improvement and the Jets continue to lose games, Lawrence could be the one under center come next season.