New York Jets trade QB Sam Darnold to Carolina Panthers for 3 draft picks
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April 5, 2021, 11:29 PM
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Share to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleFLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Three years after hailing him as a franchise savior, the New York Jets traded Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers on Monday, ending months of intense speculation about their quarterback plans.
In return for Darnold, the No. 3 overall draft pick in 2018, the Jets received three picks: a sixth-rounder in the 2021 draft later this month and a second-rounder and fourth-rounder in 2022.
Without a proven quarterback on the roster, the Jets are expected to select Darnold's replacement with the No. 2 overall pick in the April 29 draft in Cleveland (on ESPN and the ESPN App). The leading candidate is BYU's Zach Wilson, who has met virtually multiple times with the Jets' brass.
If the Jets do select a quarterback at No. 2 overall they would become the first team in the common draft era (since 1967) to select two quarterbacks within the top three overall picks in a four-year span, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
The organization was conflicted by the decision to part with Darnold, sources said. Jets coach Robert Saleh spoke highly of him, saying he has "unbelievable arm talent."
The Jets considered the idea of keeping Darnold and pairing him with a rookie, a source said, but they liked the idea of a fresh start for all parties. The organization also was cognizant of a potential quarterback controversy and felt it might have become a distraction.
The benefit of resetting with a rookie contract also was a factor in the decision, a source said. The No. 2 pick brings a fixed cost -- a projected $35 million over four years. With Darnold, there would've been financial uncertainty beyond 2021 if the Jets didn't exercise his fifth-year option for 2022.
Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer said talks with the Jets heated up at Ohio State's pro day on March 30 and continued over the Easter weekend. Ohio State's pro day came three days after the 49ers traded up to No. 3, reducing Carolina's odds of getting the quarterback it wanted at No. 8.
Fitterer said he liked Darnold coming out of USC because of his mobility and ability to push the ball down the field and that the trade will allow the Panthers to take the best player available with the No. 8 selection, even if that's a quarterback.
"This doesn't take us out of anything in the draft," Fitterer said. "It doesn't take us out of taking a quarterback, it doesn't take us out of taking any position. What we wanted to do going into this draft, through free agency, through this trade with Sam, was to just get rid of all the needs we have.
"We wanted to get to a place where the roster was in a good spot, and we could take the best available player at No. 8. We could always move up, and we could always move back, but this puts us in a position to make the right football decision for this team moving forward."
Darnold has one year remaining on his rookie contract, with guaranteed salary and bonuses totaling $4.6 million. The Panthers must decide on Darnold's fifth-year option for 2022 by May 3; the predetermined amount is $18.8 million, fully guaranteed. He was due to count $9.8 million on the Jets' cap, but they will get $4.8 million in relief and a $5 million "dead" charge for 2021.
The Panthers plan to discuss exercising Darnold's fifth-year option with his agent, a league source told ESPN's David Newton.
Carolina has been looking to upgrade from quarterback Teddy Bridgewater since the end of last season. The Panthers offered Bridgewater and the No. 8 overall pick to the Detroit Lions for Matthew Stafford, who ultimately was traded to the Los Angeles Rams.
Fitterer said he talked with Bridgewater on Monday but would not get into details.
"The whole idea of bringing Sam in was to raise the competition level to where it needs to be," he said, and added: "These guys can push each other and make each other better."
Fitterer called Darnold and Bridgewater both "starting-level" quarterbacks, and said it will be coach Matt Rhule's decision who ultimately will start for the team.
The Panthers also were interested in dealing for Deshaun Watson, league sources told Newton, before the Houston Texans quarterback was accused of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior in 22 different lawsuits.
Carolina signed Bridgewater last year to a three-year, $63 million contract that in reality is a two-year deal because of the way it was structured. Bridgewater is set to count $22.9 million against this year's salary cap, with only $7.9 million in savings against the 2021 cap if the Panthers cut him after June 1.
