With Russell Wilson’s broken relationship with the Seahawks reportedly on life support—he made a point of throwing his offensive line under the bus in a recent interview with Dan Patrick—Seattle could soon be in the market for a new QB.
One avenue the team could explore, should the Seahawks seriously entertain the idea of trading their disgruntled superstar, is Sam Darnold. Despite his first-round pedigree, the Jets could be willing to move on from Darnold, particularly if they select a quarterback (Ohio State prodigy Justin Fields and BYU’s Zach Wilson would seem to be the most likely candidates) in the upcoming NFL Draft. Per Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll holds a “high opinion” of Darnold, implying the team could pursue him as a replacement for Wilson.
Darnold, of course, hails from USC, where Carroll coached for a decade prior to joining Seattle in 2010. Though the early returns on Darnold have been less than encouraging (career 78.6 passer rating with 45 touchdowns against 39 interceptions), a number of mitigating factors have conspired against him during that time including inept coaching, lousy injury luck and a destitute supporting cast. And while the jury is out on whether or not the 23-year-old is capable of eventually becoming a franchise quarterback, it’s still relatively early in his development.
One potential roadblock is that the Jets are not among Wilson’s desired landing spots. He’s apparently zeroed in on the Bears, Raiders and Saints, with the latter looking less likely now that New Orleans has committed to both Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill in 2021. ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky recently proposed a three-team blockbuster between the Bears, Seahawks and Jets with Chicago acquiring Wilson and Darnold heading west to Seattle. That idea was submitted largely for entertainment purposes, though considering Wilson’s deteriorating relationship with the team and Carroll’s own reported infatuation with Darnold (who he spoke glowingly of when the Jets and Seahawks met last season), Orlovsky’s proposal, while admittedly ambitious, can’t be entirely dismissed. In his column for the Daily News, Leonard also notes the Jets have a working relationship with Carroll after trading Jamal Adams to Seattle last summer.
As many as eight teams have already inquired on Darnold’s availability, suggesting his departure from the Jets is a matter of when, not if.
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