New York Jets trading Sam Darnold actually makes a lot of sense

The New York Jets should probably ship Sam Darnold out of New York after 2020.

The New York Jets’ Adam Gase era is ending soon, and the only question surrounding Gase is if he’ll make it through the season. There has been plenty of collateral damage that the tornado known as Gase has caused in his two years with the Jets, most notably overseeing the regression of former No. 3 overall pick Sam Darnold.

The Jets are on track to earn one of the top picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, meaning that Joe Douglas could be inclined to ditch Darnold and start over. Even though Darnold is unlikely to recoup a first-round pick in a hypothetical trade, the Jets could still end up parting ways with him to jump-start the rebuild.

Trading Sam Darnold could help the Jets rebuild in record time

Getting a second-round pick for Darnold should be adequate compensation considering how the Arizona Cardinals were able to get a second-rounder for Josh Rosen.

Once Gase is fired, hiring an actually innovative offensive coach should be next on the priority list. Kansas City Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy is the hot name on the market, but Baltimore Ravens OC Greg Roman might be as good, if not more so, as Bieniemy.

Finding a quarterback comes next, but earning the No. 1 pick means Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence is the only option that makes sense. With a new QB1, an offensive head coach, five draft picks in the first two rounds in 2020, and plenty of cap space, the Jets deciding to punt on 2020 might be the best long-term option.

The Jets could go from one of the most dysfunctional organizations in the league with no clear forward vision to a picture of stability, but tanking in 2020 and trading Darnold is the first step towards achieving that goal.