Most people have kept their focus on the upcoming NFL draft when it comes to quarterbacks. Outside of Dak Prescott, the free agency market doesn't hold much intrigue. So this isn't a surprise. However, the trade block could feature some interesting names. None more so than Sam Darnold. The former 3rd overall pick has endured three difficult seasons for a lowly New York Jets team. One that is now 0-9 and hurtling towards the #1 overall pick in the 2021 draft.
Speculation is rampant that the team is all but certain to draft Clemson star quarterback Trevor Lawrence if they end up with that pick. This will put Darnold's future in New York to rest. Odds are GM Joe Douglas will trade him. Hopefully to a team that can give the kid a fresh start with a genuine chance to salvage his career.
Chicago is among the teams viewed as the most likely destinations.
Why? Well, the odds aren't good that they will end up with a high enough 1st round pick to draft a difference-maker at QB. So making a
trade for somebody like Darnold has some logic to it. He's only 23-years old. The age a lot of college QBs are when they go pro. He'll have three years of experience to draw upon in his new home.
There is also plenty of talent. He's got a great arm and plenty of mobility. The guy has made some truly ridiculous throws at times. He just hasn't quite harnessed his ability, which isn't entirely his fault. This is the kind of risk that might be worth taking at the right price.
So what exactly would that
price be? According to Adam Schefter on Monday Night Countdown prior to the Jets-Patriots matchup, the likely package it would take to secure Darnold is a 2nd round pick and a 5th round pick.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVuUdffyGBk&ab_channel=TheRichEisenShow
Is Sam Darnold worth that risk for the Bears?
Remember that this team has already given up a boatload of high draft choices in previous trades. They sent two 3rd rounders to San Francisco as part of the Mitch Trubisky deal in 2017. They gave up a future 2nd rounder in 2018 to move up for
Anthony Miller. Then of course there are the two 1st rounders they gave up in the package to get
Khalil Mack that same year. This team sacrificed a lot of future capital. The returns outside of Mack have been more than a little disappointing.
Darnold is talented and still young. That's not in question. The issues with him are two-fold. His health and his confidence. The QB hasn't started a full season yet in his career. A foot injury cost him three games in 2018, then it was mononucleosis in 2019 for another three, and finally, an injury to his throwing shoulder that has cost him four games to date. The guy has been sacked 82 times and hit another 72.
That kind of sustained beating wears on the psyche of a man. Is he anything like the confident and charismatic player he was coming out of USC? With just three touchdowns and six interceptions this season, it's difficult to know if that player can ever return. It would take a sustained effort from the coaching staff to build him back up into the Sam Darnold of old. Something that doesn't always happen.
It's also something the Bears have never been good at. Hence why some don't see the point. Still, the price isn't crazy and the potential payoff would be huge.
