Jets rookie minicamp is underway and quarterback Sam Darnold is ready to impress. The 20-year-old has welcomed the pressure of high expectations while entering an open competition for the starting quarterback. Darnold, Josh McCown, Teddy Bridgewater and Christian Hackenberg are all vying to state their case to head coach Todd Bowles.
"I embrace it, but I understand every single day, it's a process," Darnold told reporters. "Gotta come in here and earn respect. I'm not gonna come in here and demand it.
"Just come in here understanding the position that I'm in," he said. "I'm a rookie, I understand that. But at the same time I know that I'm a quarterback and that I gotta be a leader on the field and off it as well."
The competition will really heat up once the Jets hold their first organized team activities practice on May 22.
MORE: Jets' Maccagnan: We Want Sam Darnold To First Prove He's Ready To Start
McCown posted a 94.5 quarterback rating in his first season with Gang Green. He recorded 18 touchdowns and was intercepted nine times in 2017.
Bridgewater has been beset by injuries in recent seasons. He signed a one-year contract with the Jets on March 18. The former first-round pick last completed a full season in 2015. Bridgewater owns a 86.3 career passer rating, having thrown 28 touchdowns and 22 interceptions.
Hackenberg is yet to see action in a regular season game.
Darnold went 11-3 in his 2017 sophomore season at USC. He accumulated 4,143 passing yards and threw 26 touchdowns. As a freshman, he led the Trojans to a 52-49 victory over Penn State in the Rose Bowl, passing for 453 yards and five touchdowns in what one of the greatest Rose Bowls ever played.