Sam Darnold likely hurt his market drastically on Monday night, as he took a career-high nine sacks and threw an interception in a rough performance that resulted in a 27-9 loss to the Rams to wrap up Wild Card weekend.
For Evan Roberts, Darnold’s performance over the past two weeks solidified his belief that both New York teams should stay away from him this offseason.
“Ultimately, you’re not winning a damn thing with him,” Evan said. “Is this guy ever gonna be able to get that level? He was in a perfect situation this year. He had Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Kevin O’Connell. But when it mattered most against the Lions in Week 18 and against the Rams in the playoffs, we saw ghost-fearing Sam Darnold.
“Isn’t a part of that him holding onto the football for too damn long? Isn’t part of it him being inaccurate? He wrote his own script.”
With Monday’s loss, Evan said that teams like the Giants and Jets learned that you should stay “far, far away” from Darnold, as he can only thrive in a situation where everything around him is ready to contend, perhaps a spot like the Steelers. But neither New York team fits that mold.
“We saw him struggle for years. We saw it here in New York and as he bounced around the league,” Evan said. “He failed in the biggest moment twice. So if I were the Jets or Giants, I wouldn’t have a lot of interest in him.”
But Tiki Barber, who predicted that Darnold would have a big year under O’Connell in Minnesota, would take the former No. 3 pick on the Giants if other options came off the board.
“Honestly, I would take him on the Giants, assuming the draft options are not available,” Tiki said. “Sam Darnold would be someone I’d want, but not for $50 million. It’s a short-term deal, maybe mid $30s.”