The Panthers put up this graphic after acquiring Sam Darnold.
NFLBy Andrew Bucholtz on

It looks like the New York Jets have cleared the way to draft a quarterback with this year’s second-overall pick (likely BYU’s Zach Wilson, as per many projections) and start that new quarterback immediately. On Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Jets had traded quarterback Sam Darnold (who they had picked third overall) to the Carolina Panthers for a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft and second- and fourth-round picks in next year’s draft:

The Panthers then confirmed the deal on Twitter:

And they even referenced the infamous ESPN graphic about Darnold being out indefinitely with mononucleosis:

Darnold found some success in New York, particularly in 2019 where he threw for 3,019 yards and 19 touchdowns to 13 interceptions with a 61.9 percent completion mark. However, that year saw him commit 11 fumbles (losing three), and it saw moments like the controversial mic’d up “seeing ghosts” comment (in a 33-0 loss to the Patriots where Darnold threw four picks), and the Jets still went 7-9. And his performances in 2018 and 2020 were worse. There were lots of other issues with the team as well, but Darnold’s showing there wasn’t enough to convince them to build around him. Now, the Jets seem to be moving on to another top-five pick at QB, and if they do that, they’ll make some history:

We’ll see if this one works out any better for them, and we’ll see how Darnold (who’s still only 23) does with the Panthers.

[@Panthers on Twitter]

About Andrew Bucholtz

Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.

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