Sam Darnold: 6 NFL teams that could revive quarterback’s career in 2021

The New York Jets are going to move on from Sam Darnold after this season. Where will he end up?

Whether the New York Jets‘ recent failures are his fault or not, Sam Darnold will be elsewhere in the NFL in 2021 because the Jets are going to land the No. 1 overall pick and take Trevor Lawrence. The Jets took Darnold No. 3 overall in 2018 and it hasn’t gone according to plan, as Darnold has only won 11 games as a starter (win/loss stats can be pointless sometimes, but this just shows how dysfunctional the organization is).

There’s no way the Jets will keep Darnold once they have Lawrence in their quarterback room, so trading him is the next step. This automatically eliminates the Patriots, as the Jets would never send their quarterback to a division rival, even if he is someone as hit and miss as Darnold is.

While Darnold has had his shortcomings, the Jets haven’t exactly been a stellar organization. He’s only 23 years old and a change of scenery could do wonders for the former USC Trojan. Let’s take a look at some potential landing spots for Darnold that could revive his once-promising young career.

Sam Darnold 2021 landing spot No. 6: Denver Broncos

Drew Lock’s future with the Broncos hinges on how he plays in these final four games. The Broncos aren’t going to the playoffs so Lock needs to make these final four games count. He’s been a disappointment in his first full year as the Broncos’ starter, throwing nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions through nine starts this year.

The Broncos play in the same division as Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert, so they need to find someone who can keep up with those guys. Darnold is younger than Lock despite entering the draft a year earlier and could be someone the Broncos look to trade for this offseason.

This probably wouldn’t be a very popular move and most Broncos fans would likely rather the team stick with Lock than acquire an unproven guy like Darnold, but there is some intrigue here. Darnold went the early stretch of the season without having any of his key weapons and we’ve seen now that he’s much better with his playmakers. He’d have better options in Denver and that could make this an intriguing option.

This is unlikely to happen, as if the Broncos were to replace Lock this offseason, they’d either turn to the draft or get someone like Matthew Stafford in free agency instead. Still, it’d be interesting to see what Darnold could do in Denver.