FLORHAM PARK, NJ – Explaining the largest transaction in his two-year term, New York Jets CEO Joe Douglas said the decision to make quarterback Sam Darnold was largely based on two factors – project position and finances.
“I think it’s safe to say, if our choice were a little later, we wouldn’t have this discussion right now,” Douglas told reporters Tuesday in a Zoom call. “We would feel completely comfortable moving on with Sam.”
The Jets, second in the NFL Draft on April 29, traded Darnold to the Carolina Panthers for three draft picks – a pick in the sixth round of 2021, plus the second and fourth rounds in 2022.
At No. 2, the Jets are expected to select BYU defender Zach Wilson.
Douglas downplayed the possibility of trading the choice. He acknowledged the obvious, saying they were locked in a defender. But he would not say which of them, insisting that the final decision had not yet been made.
“We feel really good about the project class as a whole and the defender class in particular,” Douglas said. “It was an opportunity to press the financial reset button, so to speak.”
That was an important factor, the sources said.
The second choice in the project will get a four-year contract worth $ 35 million, fully guaranteed – a fixed cost that will allow financial flexibility in the coming years. Meanwhile, Darnold was scheduled to make $ 9.8 million in the final year of his rookie contract. The Jets could have exercised their option for the fifth year in 2022, but the cost would have been $ 18.9 million.
It would have been $ 28.7 million for two years, compared to $ 35 million for four. There is also a $ 5 million hit for Darnold’s trading.
Even if Douglas was complementary to Darnold, the organization believes it will find an upgrade with the second choice. Darnold, who was the third general in 2018, did not live up to expectations and was the lowest passenger in the league in the last three seasons.
Douglas acknowledged that the Jets did not do enough to help Darnold, saying he needed to do a better job of surrounding the next talented defender.
The team played with the idea of keeping Darnold and pairing him with a rookie, Douglas confirmed. In the end, the Jets decided it would be a distraction for all parties.
“In the end, it would not be the best situation for Sam, for the debutant defender, for the coach [Robert] Saleh and his staff, and the locker room, “Douglas said.” I felt this was the best decision for the entire organization to go ahead and press the reset button. “
Douglas said he had “conversations with a lot of teams,” including the Panthers, about the second pick, but that he would not characterize any of those discussions as meaningful.
The plan is to stay in 2nd place and choose a defender. Besides the upset, it will be Wilson. If he had selected in the 12-14 range, he would have run with Darnold, GM said.
“It simply came to our notice then [Monday]”You can see the direction we’re going,” Douglas said. “