Present will clash with past when the Jets visit the Panthers to open the season on Sunday afternoon, as Sam Darnold will be under center opposite of Zach Wilson.
Darnold, a failed experiment for the Jets after they took him third overall in 2018, told reporters on Wednesday that he isn’t focused on showing his former team what they moved on from, and put the blame on himself for his struggles in New York, but Boomer Esiason believes Darnold should have revenge on his in Week 1.
“You couldn’t ask for a better opening game,” Boomer said on the Zach Gelb Show. “If it were me, I’d have a huge chip on my shoulder. They didn’t handle me right. They misjudged who two of the coaches should have been, who the general manager should have been, it was just a mess here in New York.”
Darnold struggled with health and a lack of weapons during his time with Gang Green, but the new regime elected to move on and draft Wilson second overall in this year’s draft, and now Darnold will line up under center with the Panthers, armed with one of the most potent offensive weapons in the league in Christian McCaffery.
Listen to New York sports talk now on Audacy and shop the latest Jets team gear!
Add in a Jets defense that has been ravaged by injuries up front and an inexperienced secondary, and Boomer thinks it will add up to a big day for Darnold.
“The cornerback position for the Jets is the youngest in the league. I don’t know if they’re the worst in the league, but know it’s the youngest in the league,” Boomer said. “I would suspect that Sam Darnold is gonna have a huge game on Sunday. Now a huge game for him could be 275-310 yards and three touchdowns, but I would think with what happened with the Jets…there’s gonna be a message wanting to be sent here, and I think that message is gonna be sent by the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch