Douglas was more than okay with keeping Darnold for next season, but ultimately the Jets’ draft position guided his decision to trade their quarterback.
“Having the No. 2 pick, I think its safe to say if our pick was a little bit later we wouldnt be having this discussion right now,” Douglas said, per SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano. Wed be comfortable moving ahead with Sam.”
Robert Saleh and his coaching staff would have been on board with that idea, too. Saleh praised Darnold’s skill set in his introductory press conference and felt he could have done well within Mike LaFleur’s system.
However, it was Douglas’ call, and he believed the new coaching staff should start with a brand new quarterback.
