Jets' CEO Christopher Johnson Hopes Sam Darnold Is Back at Quarterback Next Season

While the focus of Christopher Johnson's postmortem presser on Monday was how the Jets will replace head coach Adam Gase, New York's CEO also addressed the future of franchise quarterback Sam Darnold.

Asked if he'd like Darnold to be under center in a Jets uniform next season, Johnson said unequivocally that he hopes the quarterback will return.

"I spoke with him after the game last night," Johnson said. "I’m a huge fan of Sam, I think he’s a great QB, I think he has really wonderful talent and drive and leadership and part of the reason that this team never gave up this year is because of Sam. I don’t think the book has been written on Sam, he has a very big future and I personally hope that it’s on this team."

Problem is, Johnson won't be the man that decides Darnold's fate this offseason.

"I hope he is a Jet going forward, but that decision is going to be made by [general manager] Joe Douglas and our new coach," Johnson explained. 

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Darnold has struggled to progress as a quarterback in the NFL, producing some of the league's worst numbers this year. The 23-year-old threw for 2,208 yards and nine touchdowns in 12 games (184 yards per game), all the lowest figures of his three-year career. Meanwhile, his QBR (40.7) and passer rating (72.7) were the worst among qualifying quarterbacks in 2020.

While Darnold has consistently shouldered much of the blame for his performance this season, admitting recently that he simply "didn’t play well," he was operating in a challenging environment. Darnold missed time with a lingering shoulder injury, dealing with it for much of the season, and often played without New York's offensive starters due to their own injuries. Not to mention the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

After three seasons in the league, however, now is the time for the Jets to decide if they'd like to marry Darnold and commit to a long-term relationship beyond his rookie deal or move on.

Consider the fact that Douglas was hired two summers ago, long after Darnold's introduction in the 2018 NFL draft. Perhaps the GM will seek to start fresh with a new franchise quarterback of his choosing after leading the search for Gase's replacement. 

It may not be Clemson's Trevor Lawrence—that ship has sailed to Jacksonville—but Douglas will have several highly-touted quarterback prospects to choose from when it's New York's turn to pick in next spring's draft. 

Could the Jets pass the baton to Ohio State's Justin Fields or BYU's Zach Wilson by taking them second overall? Trading Darnold would surely net New York a couple more quality draft picks. 

Jets fans may need to wait several months until any indications of how the organization will make those decisions are revealed.

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As for Darnold, he reiterated on Monday that he wants to be "a Jet for life." 

"I love the people here, I love living here and I want to turn this thing around," Darnold said. "I believe that we can, there’s going to be a lot of work involved in that and we all know it’s a process. Like I said, we’ve got great people in the organization, great people in the locker room. It’s a work in progress, but I definitely want to stay here hopefully for the rest of my career."

For what it's worth, rookie left tackle Mekhi Becton had Darnold's back on Monday as well.

"That's my quarterback," Becton said. "I would love to see him leading the offense next year."

Back in November, Douglas called Darnold the Jets' "quarterback for the future." We'll see if he stands by those words this offseason.

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