With Brady gone, Darnold is AFC East’s longest-tenured starting QB

Jets quarterback Sam Darnold is now the longest tenured starting quarterback in the AFC East.

Tom Brady has been a constant in the AFC East for the last 20 years, but that’s going to change in 2020.

Brady announced Tuesday that he is ready to take his football talents elsewhere; all signs point to a deal with Tampa Bay. He and the Patriots could not come to an agreement that met both sides’ desires, so instead of trying to work it out the two ultimately decided it was time to move on from each other.

With Brady now out of the AFC East, Jets quarterback Sam Darnold is the longest-tenured starting QB in the division. He made his first start in Week 1, 2018 against the Detroit Lions.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen has started more games in his career with 27 compared to Darnold’s 26. That’s because Darnold has missed six games in his first two seasons with various injuries and illnesses. However, Darnold was the one to start in the NFL right away. Allen didn’t make his first career start in the NFL until Week 2, 2018 against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Numbers-wise, Darnold and Allen are pretty close. Darnold has thrown for 5,889 yards, 36 touchdowns and 28 interceptions with a 59.9 percent completion percentage. Allen has thrown for 5,163 yards, 30 touchdowns, 21 interceptions and has a 56.3 percent completion percentage. Allen also has 17 rushing touchdowns.

These two quarterbacks are now the faces of the AFC East with Brady gone. The Patriots have a variety of different ways they can go at quarterback, while the Dolphins will more than likely find their next quarterback in the upcoming draft.

It’s crazy to think two years after being drafted that Darnold and Allen are the best and most senior quarterbacks in the division now.

Bye bye Brady: Patriots legend, Jets nemesis leaving New England

Tom Brady has officially announced that he is not returning to the Patriots.

Tom Brady has been tormenting the Jets for the last 20 years, but New York’s interdivisional nightmare is over.

Brady announced on multiple social media platforms that his “football journey will take place elsewhere.” He doesn’t know where that will take place yet, but it won’t be New England or within the AFC East.

The Chargers and Bucs are among his most likely suitors.

Brady went 30-8 against the Jets during his time as the Patriots’ quarterback. The only team he has more wins against is another AFC East foe, the Buffalo Bills. Since 2000, Brady and Bill Belichick have dominated the AFC East — and the rest of the NFL. They’ve won the AFC East 20 times over the last two decades with six Super Bowl wins in that span.

Brady’s stats throughout his Patriots career are unreal. Brady threw for 74,571 yards and 541 touchdowns in New England, the highest totals for a single team in NFL history. He’s also a 14-time Pro Bowler, five-time All-Pro, and three-time MVP.

For Jets fans, the bar is not high, but this is something to celebrate. They’ve dreamt of this day for a long time.

Now the AFC East is going to look completely different with Brady gone. Josh Allen and Sam Darnold are the top two quarterbacks in the division now, while Miami still doesn’t have a quarterback yet. The Patriots could go a few different ways, as could Brady.

It’s safe to say that the AFC East is as open as ever with Brady’s time in New England officially coming to a close.