Multiple teams reach out to Jets about Sam Darnold’s trade value

With a new head coaching staff, Sam Darnold could be moved this offseason to a new team. 

As the 2021 NFL offseason is rapidly approaching, dominos are beginning to fall. One name to watch for is Sam Darnold with the New York Jets.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, multiple teams have expressed interest in trading for the No. 3 overall pick of the 2018 class. The Jets are now under a new regime with the hiring of Joe Douglas as general manager and Robert Saleh as the next head coach.

Darnold, 23, might be viewed as a compensation prize for teams that missed out on the Matthew Stafford sweepstakes. The Detroit Lions traded Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for a pair of future first-round picks, a third-round pick and quarterback Jared Goff last weekend.

Coming off his third season, the market value for Darnold is tricky to decipher.

What is Darnold worth via trade?

The struggles of the former Trojan are prevalent no matter who you ask. Last season, Darnold went 2-10 as a starter, throwing for a career-low 2,208 passing yards and nine touchdowns. He also threw 11 interceptions and averaged 6.1 yards per pass attempt.

Was this due to the offensive design of Adam Gase? Is this plain regression? Can he really regress following two years and a 9-23 record in the Big Apple?

In any given year, the price for Darnold would likely be something around a pair of mid-round selections. That won’t be the case anymore if the Philadelphia Eagles can land a pair of first-rounders for Carson Wentz to a quarterback-needy team.

Multiple teams are expected to be in the running for Wentz’s services, who is expected to go for a “Stafford like” trade in the coming days.

Everything will come down to price. One first-round pick could get the job done, as the Jets already hold the No. 2 and the No. 23 pick in April’s draft following the Jamal Adams trade.

Both the Washington Football Team and Indianapolis Colts could be in line to trade either the 19th or 21st pick, respectively to land a quarterback who would remain under contract for two more seasons.

The Jets aren’t ready to finalize anything yet, but with Stafford off to Los Angeles and the Eagles finding a trading partner for Wentz, Darnold should be the next on the move. If traded, this will set a chain reaction to ramifications surrounding the market for names under center.