The Sam Darnold trade rumor mill began spinning Sunday morning.
The New York Jets recently heard from at least two teams about a potential trade involving the 23-year-old Darnold, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Speculation has surrounded Darnold for much of the 2020 NFL season, but Schefter’s report offers the most legitimate indication yet that New York is considering moving the third overall pick from the 2018 draft.
From Schefter’s column published Sunday morning:
At a time when quarterback trade talks across the league already have heated up, multiple teams have reached out to the New York Jets and expressed interest in trading for the former No. 3 overall pick Sam Darnold, per league sources.
The Jets haven’t turned away the calls, per sources, but they also haven’t made any final and firm quarterback decisions about what direction they want to or are ready to go.
They could trade Darnold, use the compensation they get back in return for another quarterback, or draft a quarterback with the second overall pick. All options are being explored and are on the table, per one league source.
If nothing else, Schefter’s report suggests new Jets head coach Robert Saleh isn’t sold on Darnold as New York’s franchise quarterback.
As for teams who could trade for Darnold, your guess is as good as ours. Expect the New England Patriots to be mentioned as a potential landing spot, despite the obvious hurdles between the two teams.
Darnold is 13-25 as a starter since entering the NFL.
