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The New York Jets earned a lot of praise on social media for their 2021 trade of quarterback Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers.
Fans and media analysts alike were shocked at the return of three draft choices for a quarterback who had struggled with turnovers at the NFL level.
Now more than a year later the Panthers have once again made a trade for a quarterback reinforcing the belief that the Jets won the initial deal.
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The Best Moments Captured
On Wednesday, July 6 the Cleveland Browns finally shipped out Baker Mayfield in a trade with the Panthers.
The former No. 1 overall pick cost a 2024 conditional fifth-round draft choice. According to David Newton who covers the Panthers for ESPN, if Mayfield plays in about 70 percent of the snaps in 2022 that pick will become a fourth-round draft choice.
With Mayfield in Carolina, Jets Twitter celebrated general manager Joe Douglas for his insane trade of Darnold back in April of 2021.
Darnold during his time with the Jets was an incomplete player, but the prevailing thought around the league was Darnold could bloom in a different environment. In a one-season sample size in Carolina that certainly hasn’t proven to be the case.
While there is set to be a quarterback competition in camp, most expect Mayfield to seize the starting job. If and when he does that, Darnold will instantly become one of the most expensive backup quarterbacks in the NFL.
As New Era Jets tweeted out, “somebody build a statue of Joe Douglas outside of MetLife Stadium RIGHT NOW!”
To Key to All of This
In the middle of July, it is fun to laugh about past trades and the Jets actually winning them for once. However, what isn’t a laughing matter is the stench of losing on 1 Jets Drive.
Since Douglas took over in 2019, the green and white are a woeful 13-36. Inside the division during that same time span, Gang Green is 2-16 including an 0-12 active drought over the last two years.
Connor Rogers articulated it beautifully on Twitter, “if the Jets ever win football games again there will be books written on the Jamal Adams and Sam Darnold trades.”
That is the key to everything. Douglas could be the greatest trade wizard of all time, but if he doesn’t start winning games he will be out of a job next year.
The Jet Press took it a step further saying JD “will become a media darling” if the wins start coming under this regime.
Douglas now has three drafts under his belt and for all intents and purposes firmly has his fingerprints on the roster now. There are zero excuses left, it is time for this team to put up or shut up.
If they are able to accomplish that with some victories, maybe the folks over at the Jets facilities will build that statue for Douglas after all.
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