The Sam Darnold era has officially come to an end in New York.
The Carolina Panthers' Twitter account confirmed reports of a trade involving Darnold, and he'll likely look to become their starting quarterback for the 2021 season.
Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is still under contract, and could either act as a backup or be moved in a subsequent trade in the coming weeks. The Panthers were also a team that could have looked for a quarterback in this year's draft, seeing as they own the No. 8 overall selection in a draft with five quarterbacks that could potentially go in the top half of the first round.
The New York Jets seem to be on track to draft BYU's Zach Wilson in the draft, though it didn't take this trade for us to expect that to be the case. Audacy Sports' own Tim Kelly saw the draft playing out this way in his latest mock draft.
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Jets general manager Joe Douglas shared his stance on the trade (via ESPN's Rich Cimini):
"I want to publicly acknowledge the commitment, dedication, and professionalism Sam displayed while with the Jets. He is a tough-minded, talented football player whose NFL story has not been written yet. While all these things are true, this move is in the short- and long-term best interests for both this team and him. We thank Sam for all of his work on behalf of this organization and wish him well as he continues his career."
In three seasons with the Jets, Darnold, the 2018 No. 3 overall pick, compiled a record of 13-25 with 45 touchdowns and 39 interceptions.
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