Three years after hailing him as a franchise savior, the New York Jets traded Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers on Monday, ending months of intense speculation about their quarterback plans.
In return for Darnold, the No. 3 overall draft pick in 2018, the Jets received three picks: a sixth-rounder in the 2021 draft later this month and a second-rounder and fourth-rounder in 2022.
Without a proven quarterback on the roster, the Jets are expected to select Darnold’s replacement with the No. 2 overall pick in the April 29 draft in Cleveland (on ESPN and the ESPN App). The leading candidate is BYU’s Zach Wilson, who has met virtually multiple times with the Jets’ brass.
If the Jets do select a quarterback at No. 2 overall they would become the first team in the common draft era (since 1967) to select two quarterbacks within the top three overall picks in a four-year span, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.