There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Sam Darnold’s future in New York following the Jets’ Week 17 loss to the Patriots.
He didn’t play well to end the season, is coming off his worst year in the league and could be on his way out with the Jets owning the second pick in a quarterback-rich draft. Darnold knows his time in New York could be running out, but he wouldn’t say if he thought this was his last game in a Jets jersey.
“I’m not sure,” he said when asked about his future after the game, per the New York Post’s Zach Braziller.
“I don’t think I played well enough,” Darnold added. “That’s all I can worry about.”
Darnold completed 67 percent of his passes for 266 yards and two scores in Week 17, but he also tossed two costly interceptions and almost fumbled the ball in what should have been a routine throwaway. At times, Darnold played like the No. 3 overall pick with crisp passes, but he also had a few horrific throws that didn’t even include the two turnovers.
On the year, Darnold looked even worse. He finished the 2020 season with just 2,208 passing yards, 10 passing touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The yards and touchdowns are both career lows, though he played in only 12 games this season due to a shoulder injury.
“I definitely didn’t play well this year I think,” Darnold said, per the Post.
There is a chance Darnold sticks around for another season, though, depending on who the coach is. It almost certainly won’t be Adam Gase after a second consecutive losing season with an offense that finished at the bottom of the league. Darnold said he loved playing for Gase, though, despite the coaching playing a key role in Darnold’s down year. The quarterback wouldn’t comment on if he thought Gase should remain the coach in 2021.
“That’s not my decision,” Darnold said, per the Post. “I love him, I love playing for him.”
Darnold said he isn’t focused on if he or Gase will be on the team next season. Right now, he’s just trying to learn from the loss and focused on “living in the moment.”
“I’m not going to deal with ‘What if this happens, what if that happens,’” Darnold said, per SNY. “Right now – it was a bad loss against the Patriots. I’m just gonna soak it and watch the tape. I’m not going to worry about [the future] until it’s front and center.”