Regional Sports

Divorce best for Darnold and Jets

Photo: Brad Penner/USA Today Sports

Jordan Palmer posted an Instagram video of Sam Darnold smiling when he entered a house that celebrated his trade to the Carolina Panthers the other day. I never saw him smile like this before. It was like a person returning home from prison. Who can blame him after his sorry Jets experience?

This tells you the story right there it was time for Darnold and the Jets to move on. He yearned to move on for the sake of a fresh start, and the Jets had to move on because Darnold was never going to work out for them.

Darnold and the Jets mentioned they can coexist for next season. Who did they think they were fooling? Jets fans knew the score. There was no way both parties could work again after this past season. The once-quarterback of the future played so awful last season, and the Jets finished 2-14.

It would be foolish to draft a quarterback and have Darnold compete for the starting quarterback job with the quarterback being drafted, which is likely going to be BYU quarterback Zach Wilson. For one thing, it would be awkward in a sense Jets fans and Jets general manager Joe Douglas would want Wilson to win it. Second of all, what’s the point? How does it make anyone better? It would not be an ideal situation for both quarterbacks. Darnold does not benefit from holding the position until Wilson is ready, and Wilson does not need to start his Jets tenure with a quarterback controversy.

Darnold regressed each season, and he was not going to do well next season. Don’t blame this on him, though. This is what happens when a franchise committed malpractice by not giving him an offensive line, running back or a wide receiver in his three years here. This is what happens when a franchise fired its general manager that drafted him and hired a general manager that really wanted nothing to do with him. This is what happens when a player plays for the Jets. It never ends well as Mark Sanchez can attest. Ironically, both quarterbacks played for USC, so they can always share war stories about their time with the Jets one day when the mood is right.

The Jets will now try again to get it right with another quarterback. Here’s a question for Jets fans: What makes you think Douglas will get it right when his predecessors couldn’t get it right? Yes, it’s unfair to cast aspersions to the Jets general manager for the sins of his predecessors, but I haven’t seen much about him to think he can draft or find talent from what I saw the last offseason.

BTW, here’s free advice for Douglas: Don’t start Wilson or whoever the quarterback the Jets draft in April. Starting the pick would be putting him in a position to fail since the offensive line stinks, and there are no playmakers that are out there. Sign Drew Stanton and have him start at quarterback this season while the Jets continue to build around their quarterback of the future.

Darnold won’t have that problem with the Panthers. He gets to work with a couple of playmakers in D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson, a running back in Christian McCaffrey, a competent offensive coordinator in Joe Brady and an up-and-coming head coach in Matt Rhule. It’s no wonder no one can wipe the smile out of his face from that Instagram video.

As much as Douglas failed his quarterback, he did the honorable thing by trading him to a professional organization.

Maybe Douglas can make the Jets be that organization one day. Maybe and one day are the two key words in a sense the Jets general manager must draft right and make sure those players developed quickly. If not, not only will Wilson or whoever will be gone as a quarterback, but so will the guy who drafted the quarterback at No. 2.

Whoever Douglas drafts at quarterback will not matter if he can’t find the pieces to build around him. Jets fans know that all too well.

It’s going to be interesting what Douglas does moving forward. Getting rid of Darnold is easy. Working to make the next quarterback in a position to succeed won’t be easy.

It will also be interesting to see what Darnold does. Yes, we feel awful for him for what he endured with the Jets, but he shouldn’t be blameless, either. He needs to cut down his interceptions first and foremost. He must read defenses better. Most importantly, he needs to be durable after being injury-prone in his time with the Jets. He may not be a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback, but he’s a productive quarterback.

There’s no doubt Jets fans will keep an eye on what the former Jets quarterback does. It’s what fans do when a former player couldn’t pan out for their team.

They will also to get see Darnold when he and the Panthers play the Jets this season. This will create local and national media interest for sure.

Not only the matchup becomes interesting, but so will who benefits more from this divorce.

There’s so much at stake for the Jets and Darnold.

Darnold needs to show he is not a bust, and the Jets must hope their next quarterback is not known for committing a butt fumble or seeing ghosts or doing something that you can’t make it up.

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