Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The New York Jets selected QB Zach Wilson No. 2 overall in the 2021 NFL draft. Here are 10 facts surrounding the pick.
The New York Jets went with a quarterback and selected former BY Cougar Zach Wilson. The No. 2 overall pick becomes another solution at quarterback for the frustrated Jets.
Here are 10 facts surrounding the Jets’ selection of Wilson at No. 2 overall in Round 1 of the 2021 NFL draft.
The Jets have received phone calls from multiple teams in the NFL interested in trading for Sam Darnold.
The Jets have received calls from multiple teams interested in trading for QB Sam Darnold, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Schefter added that the Jets have not come to a decision on their plans at quarterback yet. ESPN reached out to the Jets looking for comment, but they did not confirm nor deny that they have received calls on Darnold.
With Robert Saleh hired as the team’s new head coach, Darnold’s future and the quarterback position are next on the Jets’ offseason to-do list. Saleh has praised Darnold’s skillset since his introductory press conference, but he has repeatedly stopped short of committing to the 23-year-old long-term.
Joe Douglas has taken the same approach. He believes Darnold has a “bright future” in the NFL but isn’t sure it will be with the Jets. Douglas wasn’t the one who drafted Darnold out of USC in 2018, so he has no ties to Darnold. Douglas has the final say on all personnel-related decisions but is consulting with Saleh.
Darnold’s third season with the Jets was a rollercoaster. He missed four games in 2020 due to a right shoulder injury. It was the third consecutive year that Darnold missed at least three games because of an injury.
In the 12 games that Darnold did play, though, the numbers weren’t pretty. He had a 57.6 percent completion percentage to go along with 2,208 passing yards, nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The Jets were 2-10 in the games Darnold started.
News of potential Darnold suitors comes as QB trade talk picks up around the league. The Lions already agreed to send Matthew Stafford to the Rams for a haul and the Deshaun Watson sage remains ongoing in Houston. The Eagles are also expected to trade Carson Wentz soon. Among the teams that called Detroit about Stafford, according to Schefter: Washington, Indianapolis, Carolina, San Francisco and Chicago. All could be suitors for Darnold — if the Jets choose to trade him.
The Jets have a monster decision on their hands, but it doesn’t look like they’re ready to make it just yet. Over the next few weeks, though, they’ll have to decide whether to keep Darnold or trade him to another team.
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Denzel Mims thinks Sam Darnold is a ‘great quarterback,’ but he trusts Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas to make best decision at quarterback.
Denzel Mims is cool with riding with Sam Darnold in 2021.
Mims was on SportsMap Radio’s “The Jake Asman Show” recently and showed his support for the Jets’ incumbent quarterback. The rookie wide receiver only played in seven games with Darnold in 2020 but is confident in his ability. When Mims got pressed about Darnold’s uncertain future with the Jets, he said Darnold can thrive either in New York — or elsewhere if that’s the route Gang Green takes.
“I think Sam is a great quarterback,” Mims said. “I don’t really have nothing bad to say about Sam. I think he’s a great quarterback. The kid does a lot of really great things, so whatever happens to him if he’s here or somewhere else, I think he’ll be a great quarterback wherever he lands.”
In the seven games that Mims and Darnold played together, they only connected 16 times for 224 yards.
The limited connections had more to do with Darnold than Mims. Darnold has a tendency to lock onto one receiver and he didn’t go through his progressions well this past season. Mims routinely got himself open — and demonstrated he can make plays in traffic — but Darnold didn’t find him often enough. Part of that had to do with the limited time that Darnold had in the pocket, though.
Mims was also asked if he’s heard the rumors about Deshaun Watson potentially getting traded to the Jets. While Mims didn’t give a clear-cut answer to the question, he did say he will back Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas’s decision under center.
“I put all my trust in coach Robert and Joe Douglas,” Mims said. “So whatever decision they make, I know it’s best for the team, so I’m 100 percent behind them on that.”
Mims separately told SNY that, generally speaking, “you want to play with” a “top-five” quarterback, but he again left the decision-making up to New York’s brass.
“Whoever I have, I’ll be thankful for it,” the receiver said.
