NFL insider says what Jets would want in a Sam Darnold trade

Monday’s heartbreaking 30-27 loss to the New England Patriots left the New York Jets on track for the No. 1 pick overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.

If that holds true, general manager Joe Douglas will need to decide if Sam Darnold is the team’s quarterback of the future. If Douglas says no, Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence or Ohio State’s Justin Fields could find themselves playing for the Jets in 2021.

Should Douglas choose that option, he’d most likely look to shop Darnold, the No. 3 pick overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. Here’s what Douglas might want for Darnold, per YardBarker:

Adam Schefter revealed during ESPN’s pregame show on Monday that any team trading for Darnold would have to be willing to part ways with a second- and fifth-round pick, per 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Alex Barth.

That falls in line with what Schefter reported last month, when one general manager told him that “I don’t think they’d get a [first-round pick] for Sam, but it also depends what he puts on tape the rest of the year. The problem is, [Darnold] is struggling with his accuracy, his durability — so they’re in a tough spot. And if everyone knows the Jets are taking a quarterback, then they won’t get as much back.”

Another general manager told Schefter a second-round pick for Darnold is no guarantee: “The high-water mark would be a [second-round pick] for him. I think they could get a [fourth-round pick] for him, but if he finished positive for him, they might get a 2 for him. In college, he was a turnover machine. In the NFL, he has been a turnover machine. I just don’t think he has the credentials to go for a 1.”

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