Have the New York Jets Found Their Lead QB Back to the Playoffs?

Have the New York Jets Found Their Lead QB Back to the Playoffs?

Antony Presnar, Senior Author

Through the Years With the New York Jets 

Over the years the New York Jets have been searching for a quarterback to lead the charge and take them back to what they once were. They had the first-round pick 3rd overall in the 2018 draft and chose to put their trust into the rookie out of the University of Southern California, Sam Darnold. Darnold was one of the top 5 quarterbacks coming to the NFL however, does not mean he will be a good quarterback in the NFL, but none the less the Jets took a risk. The Jets signed him to a 4-year rookie contract and were going to see how he played for those years and see if it is necessary to extend his contract. Coming into his rookie season he was being compared to all the greats in the league back in the 2018-2019 season. After Darnold’s rookie season the Jets were not too impressed with his performance as he threw for 17 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. The following season he faired a little better throwing for 19 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, but then the following year he threw for 9 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. After seeing how he never truly progressed from his rookie season, the New York Jets finally have decided to move on from Darnold in the 2020 offseason as they traded him to the Carolina Panthers. The plan was to draft a QB after winning 2 and losing 14 games the Jets have acquired the number 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The 2021 Draft Class featured quite a few quarterbacks to choose from, Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields, Mac Jones, and Kyle Trask. Although Trevor Lawrence is supposed to be the best quarterback in the draft class, there’s always that slim chance that he will not pan out to the full expectations everyone has given him. With that being said, will the Jets trade up to the number 1 spot or stay at 2 and draft a quarterback other than Lawrence.

The New York Jets Time is Now

It is draft time for the New York Jets and their decision is in… With the 2nd overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft, the New York Jets select the quarterback out of Brigham Young University, Zach Wilson. The trust the Jets put into Sam Darnold is a trust they will be putting into Zach Wilson in hopes that Wilson does not fold how Darnold folded for them. This would be the 2nd first-round pick in a matter of 3 years that they drafted a quarterback. With that being said I do not see them taking another quarterback in the upcoming years if he does fail, I think they draft other positions in the first round and either draft a quarterback later in the draft or trade for a quarterback during the offseason. The question still remains, “Will Zach Wilson be the answer to the Jet’s needs and be the savior of the team?” The answer to that question will come eventually after the upcoming seasons of his rookie years.