As Alex Smith weighs his NFL future, the Washington Football Team knows it needs to find a quarterback, should he not return.
According to a report from the NFL Network, should new Jets head coach Robert Saleh want to bring in his own quarterback — and the Jets decide to part with Sam Darnold this offseason — Washington is a team that would be interested in acquiring the former No. 3 overall pick.
"Who will be Washington's QB? When Alex Smith decided he needed a few weeks to figure out his future, the Washington Football Team knew it could not wait," the report says. "While the team is open to a return for Smith, it also made calls on [Matthew] Stafford and [Jared] Goff before they were traded."
"Expect them to weigh all QB options, including if Sam Darnold is made available," the report goes on. "While plenty of teams have been calling the Jets on Darnold, there's been no indication they would trade him. Yet."
While Darnold is 13-25 as a starter in the NFL, the Jets have been putrid in his three seasons under center and he's still only 23. A team like Washington could decide to gamble that, in the right system, Darnold's career as a starter could still be salvaged.
Plus, Darnold would be significantly cheaper to acquire than Matthew Stafford, for whom Washington attempted trade, reportedly offering Detroit a first- and third-round pick. Stafford ultimately ended up in Los Angeles, with the Rams trading their own starter in Jared Goff, along with two future first-round picks and a third-round pick, to the Lions.
In 38 starts for the Jets, Darnold has completed 59.8 percent of his passes for 8,097 yards, 45 touchdowns and 39 interceptions. He's also flashed some mobility, rushing for five additional touchdowns on 417 yards.
The Jets hold the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, which they could certainly use to select a quarterback. They were in position to nab top QB prospect Trevor Lawrence out of Clemson for much of the 2020 season, but after an 0-13 start, an unexpected Week 15 win over the Rams dropped them to No. 2 in the draft order. That put the also 1-win Jaguars in the driver's seat at the top of the draft. Jacksonville is now expected to select Lawrence this April.
