Patriots: Sam Darnold trade once again proves why the Jets always get it wrong

The New York Jets closed another uninspiring chapter in the history of their downtrodden franchise on Monday when they traded quarterback Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers.

We talked about what this meant for the New England Patriots, but what we didn’t do is go in on the Jets for, once again, getting it wrong.

Was Darnold the best quarterback? Far from it.

Was he even average? Not really.

But the Jets traded a slew of assets to move up in the 2018 NFL Draft to take him, and then went ahead and shipped him away for absolutely nothing substantial (a 2021 sixth-round pick as well as second- and fourth-round picks in 2022). That’s what we’d call a “sunk cost.”

Before we dive into it and start elaborating upon what they should have done with the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft, let’s look at the recent history of their selections in the first round.

The Jets … can’t draft at all! And while Darnold certainly didn’t do himself many favors, he was forced to play behind a constantly-shuffling offensive line and a non-existent running game. He never had a true No. 1 wide receiver and arguably had the worst coach in the NFL overseeing his early development. Not many quarterbacks, aside from generational talents, would succeed in such a situation.

So instead of keeping Darnold for two more years to see what they really have in him with a new coaching staff, a semblance of an offensive line, tons of cap space, and a number of high draft picks in 2021, the Jets think drafting another QB without a legitimate foundation will improve their chances. They’re essentially doing the exact same thing they did in 2018.

And when Colin Cowherd is criticizing your decision, it’s not the greatest of looks.

https://twitter.com/ColinCowherd/status/1379165302701760515?s=20

The craziest part about all of this is that the Jets aren’t even going to be getting the best QB in the draft. They already blew the tank for Trevor Lawrence! They’ll be getting the second-best signal caller, who will likely be a question mark, especially with the few weapons the Jets have at the moment.

New York has no idea what the running game will look like. They still have no threats in the receiving game. The defense won’t be able to remain consistent if the offense can’t stay on the field. Why would they not keep Darnold, trade the No. 2 pick for a fleet of other high selections (just like the Miami Dolphins did with the San Francisco 49ers), and try to surround Darnold with superior talent for the next two years?

The No. 2 selection is hardly a home run this year, especially if you’re a team with endless needs like the Jets. If they were getting their hands on Lawrence, it’d be a completely different story. Every competent franchise knows, most of the time, you need some sort of blueprint before throwing a rookie into the fire on Day 1.

But the Jets aren’t one of those organizations, and it’s clear they haven’t figured it out under another management regime.

We sure hope the basement is comfy for New Yorkers.

New England Patriots: What Sam Darnold trade means for Pats

The New England Patriots, however, might end up as indirect beneficiaries of the New York Jets trading away Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers