New York Jets: Does Sam Darnold present a catch-22?

Sam Darnold will likely be the starter Week 1 in Detroit for the New York Jets. However, are they in the ultimate catch-22 for teams with young quarterbacks?

The New York Jets would love to get a Tom Brady-esque run out of Sam Darnold. There are two questions that must be asked. Here’s the first question, and this one can’t be answered right now, but we can try to surmise the possibilities: What happens after next season?

Many fans have forgotten that the collective bargaining agreement is up after the conclusion of the 2019 season. That means the NFL and NFLPA must go back to the table. Now, there are things that are going to have to change — for example they need to get back to the old practice schedule (but we won’t get into that here).

That said, if the salary structure remains somewhat status quo, then the Jets are in the ultimate catch-22 when it comes to how good and how fast.

The second one: Is it possible to win after the rookie contract of a great quarterback draft pick expires, or have the Seattle Seahawks taught us otherwise?

Brady is a special player. Not only did he lead the Patriots to eight AFC Championships and five Super Bowl wins, but he took less money than his peers to do so. The Jets may be in the same catch-22 the befell the Seahawks after two Super Bowl runs (with one win). If Sam Darnold is good, time will come to pay him what he deserves, and that may decrease their perceived window of winning.

Now, here’s where it can become great. If Darnold has the similar mindset to Brady, he may take less in order for the team to build around him. If so, the Jets got both a good quarterback and one that can guide them to multiple titles.

Russell Wilson is actually the first test case in the rookie wage scale of a quarterback being successful early on in his career and commanding big dollars due to the success. So, the final question we must ask ourselves is this. How long is the window for winning with Sam Darnold?