New York Jets

The New York Jets started last year 0-13 before finishing 2-14 for the NFL's second-worst record, but William Hill sportsbook is taking sharp money on Gang Green to win division, conference and Super Bowl titles.

"Perhaps based on a belief that Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson will be traded to the Jets, sharp bettors at William Hill on Thursday wagered on New York to win the AFC East, AFC and the Super Bowl," Todd Dewey of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported (h/t Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk).

"Maybe they know something," William Hill director of trading Nick Bogdanovich told Dewey. "I don't know. Maybe they think Sam Darnold will start playing better."

The Jets have been connected in trade rumors and speculation to Watson, who has reportedly requested a trade.

John McClain of the Houston Chronicle said Feb. 10 on SportsRadio 610 that Houston, which remains steadfast in its desire to keep Watson, would only trade him to the Jets.

A Jets deal would apparently suit the ex-Clemson star: Per ESPN Upstate, Watson would accept a deal to the Jets, Carolina Panthers or Miami Dolphins.

The Jets can offer the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft as part of a package for Houston if the Texans change their mind. Bettors may be speculating that a Watson-Jets union will happen, as odds have fallen from 20-1 to 12-1 on New York to win the AFC East.

For all the latest betting information and reaction, check out B/R Betting.

New York Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams told Zach Gelb of CBS Sports Radio that he wants to be a "Jet for life" amid swirling trade speculation connecting him in a hypothetical deal for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has requested a trade.

"I'd be disappointed," Williams said (h/t NFL.com's Adam Maya) when speaking about a scenario in which he'd be traded. "I really want to be a Jet for life. I like New York, and I want to play in New York."

The former Alabama star continued talking about trade rumors and how he's dealt with them personally while reiterating that he wants to play under first-year head coach Robert Saleh.

"I just handle what I can handle, just control what I can control. Just go out and work hard as I can for any team that I'm on. Hopefully it's the Jets so I can play with Coach Saleh, but any team I'm on, I just work my hardest so that when that comes around I can be the best player I can be."

Williams had a fantastic second season in New York, amassing 55 tackles, 14 quarterback hits and seven sacks. The Jets selected him third overall in the 2019 draft.

However, he's been involved in trade speculation regarding a potential Jets deal for Watson.

Of note, Peter King of NBC Sports included Williams in a proposed Jets package to Houston for Watson, and former Jets general manager (and current NFL analyst) Mike Tannenbaum told Jake Asman on SportsMap Radio he'd have no qualms about throwing Williams in a deal for Watson.

Speaking on Houston's SportsRadio 610, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle previously reported that the only team Houston would trade Watson to is the Jets. In addition, ESPN Upstate reported that Watson would accept a deal to the Jets, Carolina Panthers or Miami Dolphins.

However, as NFL Network's Tom Pelissero noted, the Texans have no desire to trade Watson, to the point where they haven't even been fielding teams' inquiries on him. Those teams have reportedly left voicemails with trade offers.

We'll soon find out how this saga develops, but for now, Williams is a Jet and Watson is a Texan as free agency and the NFL draft rapidly approach.

It's entirely possible that at some point in the next two months, BYU quarterback Zach Wilson or somebody else with a rising stock will supplant Clemson's Trevor Lawrence to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. 

The hype surrounding Wilson is building, and it should be noted that Laremy Tunsil was the most widely projected No. 1 overall pick in February 2016, Sam Darnold had that distinction in February 2018 and Nick Bosa was the king of most mock drafts in February 2019. None wound up going first overall. 

But with the No. 1 overall pick, the Jacksonville Jaguars are extremely unlikely to take a major risk and turn away from one of the most enticing quarterbacks of this era, and there's been no real indication they're considering going against the grain. The franchise can't afford another bust at the position after what it went through with Blake Bortles and Blaine Gabbert. 

Because drama is often pretty fun when you're a bystander, that lack of mystery at the top of the draft is a bit of a shame. But the good news is the New York Jets are here to provide more than enough theater with the No. 2 overall selecton. 

Until then, they may test our patience.

On Monday, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the Jets will take their time to assess the quarterbacks in this year's draft class before deciding whether to trade 23-year-old signal-caller Sam Darnold—a process that could extend through March or even up to draft day. 

So while this offseason has moved at an unprecedented speed thus far, we could be waiting a while for the next domino to fall. 

There are three ways the Jets could go here: 

1. Trade Darnold and then draft Wilson, Justin Fields or Trey Lance second overall (assuming Lawrence does go in the top spot).

2. Keep Darnold and draft another potential star like Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell or LSU wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase in the No. 2 spot. 

3. Keep Darnold and still draft a quarterback. 

The first scenario is favored by most mock drafters and analysts at this point, and it makes a lot of sense considering that Darnold was the NFL's lowest-rated passer in what many viewed as a make-or-break 2020 campaign. Three seasons into his career, the 2018 No. 3 overall pick has completed fewer than 60 percent of his passes and averaged just 6.6 yards per attempt, losing 25 of his 38 starts. 

Can the Jets really afford to forego a shot at Wilson, Fields or Lance in order to gamble that Darnold will suddenly put it together in 2021, especially if they still might be able to get a decent return in a trade? 

On the other hand, Scenario 2 has merit because Darnold is still only 23 years old and clearly lacked support during Adam Gase's two-year tenure as New York's head coach.

General manager Joe Douglas wasn't around when Darnold was drafted, but that doesn't mean Douglas, new head coach Robert Saleh and incoming offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur might not want to see what the new staff can do with Darnold now that Gase is out of the way. After all, he was widely considered a gamer with the mental and physical abilities to flourish coming out of USC. 

The third scenario is obviously extremely unlikely, but the draft is a crapshoot, and it's not outside the realm of possibility for the Jets to decide to roll another set of dice before finding out if the first set will result in snake eyes.

Knowing they've got two more picks in the top 34 this year and two first-rounders in 2022 could embolden a new regime to pit Darnold against a first-round rookie in 2021 and then roll with whomever wins out. The loser would ideally still have some trade value then, but it's an incredibly risky strategy that would almost certainly be unpopular with fans and the media. 

Based on his play the last three years, keeping Darnold and building around him isn't much less risky, however, which is why a trade seems a distinct possibility. It wasn't surprising when SNY's Ralph Vacchiano reported last week that a second-round pick and a middle-to-late-rounder could do the trick.

Who might offer that up to Gang Green? Watch for the following teams: 

Washington Football Team: They've already given up on 2019 first-round pick Dwayne Haskins, Alex Smith turns 37 this offseason and struggled in his return to the field in 2020, and the WFT doesn't likely have a shot at any of this class' top four quarterbacks with the No. 19 overall pick. Maybe they'd offer up their second-round selection and one of their two third-rounders. 

Chicago Bears: Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported on The Herd with Colin Cowherd that the Bears pursued Carson Wentz before the Philadelphia Eagles traded him to the Indianapolis Colts. Mitchell Trubisky's rookie deal is done, and Nick Foles was a disappointment in his first season in Chicago. The Bears need to get better quarterback play while this window is open for an expensive defense, and they also pick in the bottom half of Round 1, so the big four are likely out of the question. Would they offer their two Day 2 selections? They don't have a fourth-rounder.

Carolina Panthers: It's become apparent this offseason that the Panthers aren't convinced Teddy Bridgewater is the long-term solution under center. There's plenty of buzz they're interested in acquiring Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans, but if they strike out there, they could opt to pursue the less expensive Darnold and let Bridgewater and Darnold duke it out. 

Houston Texans: If the Texans wind up trading Watson to the Jets, Darnold would likely go the other way as an afterthought. There's no reason Houston wouldn't at least take him for his low salary and upside, but the Texans continue to insist they aren't trading their 25-year-old franchise quarterback, according to Peter King of NBC Sports.

Denver Broncos: Drew Lock was the league's fourth-lowest-rated qualified passer as a sophomore in 2020, and ABC's Troy Renck reported the Broncos are interested in Watson and other top-echelon quarterbacks. But NFL Network's James Palmer reported last week that Denver is "lukewarm" on lower-level guys (a group that would presumably include Darnold). They'd probably prefer to simply give Lock another shot in 2021.

San Francisco 49ers: They can move on from Jimmy Garoppolo for next to nothing, but you'd think the 49ers would only do that if they were to clearly upgrade with somebody like Watson or Dak Prescott. Darnold instead of Garoppolo saves them money, but Jimmy G quarterbacked this team to the Super Bowl two years ago. Trading him in for the league's lowest-rated passer would be quite a risk.

New England Patriots: Bill Belichick might figure he can turn Darnold into his next franchise quarterback. The talent is there and it's an ideal environment, especially now that Cam Newton has provided a small buffer between the Brady era and whatever's next, but the Jets would probably be terrified to trade him to the longtime Goliath of their division. 

If the Jets pull the trigger at all, my money is on Washington, Chicago or Carolina. And while we might not get an answer for a while, the exciting part (or the scary part for Jets fans) is that development would only lead to more buzz about which quarterback New York would end up taking in the first round of the draft. 

In other words, all eyes could be on Jets for a massive portion of the 2021 NFL offseason. 

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012. Follow him on Twitter: @Brad_Gagnon.

The Philadelphia Eagles' trade of Carson Wentz may have been the final nail in the coffin if the Jets were still hoping to land a first-round pick for Sam Darnold.

Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv reported the Wentz deal reinforced the prevailing wisdom around the league that the best the Jets can hope for in exchange for Darnold is a second-round pick plus an additional selection somewhere in the middle of the draft.

The Colts traded a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 conditional second-round pick to Philadelphia for Wentz. The 2022 selection will become a first-round pick if Wentz plays 75 percent of the snaps next season or 70 percent of the snaps and the Colts make the playoffs.

Darnold's NFL resume pales in comparison to Wentz, who looked like an above-average NFL quarterback before falling apart in 2020. The USC product failed to progress in any of his three NFL seasons, posting a 13-25 career record as a starter while throwing for 8,097 yards and 41 touchdowns against 36 interceptions.

Wentz was the only quarterback in the NFL last season who ranked worse than Darnold in Football Outsiders' DYAR metric. Darnold has ranked as one of the NFL's worst quarterbacks in nearly every advanced and traditional metric in each of his first three seasons.

While some of those issues are not totally Darnold's fault—the Jets have had the NFL's worst skill-position group and arguably the worst coaching staff in the league during his brief career—he's also not been able to overcome those obstacles with his play.

The Jets have an advantage over the Eagles in negotiating a Darnold trade given that he is still under his rookie contract. It seems unlikely that Darnold's new team or the Jets will pick up his fifth-year option, but he at least has one year remaining on a cost-controlled deal that would make him a decent buy-low candidate.

After finishing with the NFL's worst scoring offense in 2020, the New York Jets are reportedly looking to add playmakers at wide receiver this offseason.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Will Fuller V are "at the top" of the list of players New York is looking at. 

Fowler also noted that Indianapolis Colts restricted free agent Zach Pascal is a "second-tier" option for the Jets. 

The Jets are looking to establish a new identity in 2021 under first-year head coach Robert Saleh. He filled out his staff with several members of the San Francisco 49ers group that he worked with under Kyle Shanahan. 

Mike LaFleur, who was the 49ers passing game coordinator for the past two seasons, will be New York's offensive coordinator. San Francisco's passing game was heavily reliant on players who can pick up big yards after the catch, like George Kittle and Deebo Samuel. 

Smith-Schuster specialized in that area early in his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He ranked third in the NFL with 2.5 yards after the catch above average as a rookie in 2017, per Football Outsiders. 

Pittsburgh's offense wasn't geared for explosive plays in 2020 with Ben Roethlisberger's arm strength limited coming off elbow surgery. Smith-Schuster averaged a career-low 8.6 yards per catch, though he still led the NFL in catches from the slot (81) and touchdowns from the slot (nine), per Pro Football Focus. 

Fuller is capable of making plays after the catch or stretching the field deep because of his speed. The Notre Dame alum set career-highs with 53 receptions, 879 yards, eight touchdowns and 16.6 yards per reception as Deshaun Watson's favorite target for the Houston Texans in 2020. 

In November, Fuller was suspended six games by the NFL for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. He sat out the final five games in 2020 and will miss the first game next season. 

The Jets could be an attractive option for anyone looking to score a big contract this offseason. Over the Cap estimates they will have $67.9 million in cap space. 

Jamison Crowder was New York's leading receiver last season. He finished with 89 targets, 59 receptions, 699 yards and six touchdowns. 

With the NFL quarterback market bustling, the New York Jets reportedly are trying to get teams excited about what they have to offer. 

According to The Athletic, "the Jets are working hard to drum up interest in Darnold" with a first-round pick on the brain, though league sources believe the third-year quarterback is more likely to draw a second or third-round selection. 

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sunday that "multiple teams" contacted the Jets with an interest in the 23-year-old, though he said the Jets "haven't made any firm decisions about their future at quarterback." 

Darnold is 13-25 in three seasons as the Jets starter. He went 2-10 in 2020, with 2,208 yards and nine touchdowns on 59.6 percent passing. 

According to The Athletic's report, the Jets are "likely" to see what happens to Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, then attempt to engage the teams that were unsuccessful in dealing for him. 

Among the teams that are looking for help under center are the Washington Football Team, Indianapolis Colts, Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears, who were all among the teams that inquired about Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford before he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for Jared Goff.

Even if the Jets are unsure about whether or not to move on from Darnold, they're still in solid position to line up his replacement. After a 2-14 season, they hold the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft, which gives them the opportunity to add a top signal-caller out of college.

Among the options are Ohio State's Justin Fields and BYU's Zach Young, and that's assuming that the 1-15 Jacksonville Jaguars take Clemson star Trevor Lawrence at No. 1. 

If the New York Jets want to move on from Sam Darnold, there are reportedly a number of teams that would be interested in acquiring the 23-year-old quarterback. 

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, "multiple teams" have called the Jets to ask about Darnold's availability. 

Schefter did note the Jets aren't "turning away calls" for Darnold, but they also haven't "made any final and firm quarterback decisions about what direction they want to or are ready to go."

New York currently owns the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL draft. This year's class is expected to feature a number of quarterbacks taken in the first round. Clemson star Trevor Lawrence is the presumptive No. 1 pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Ohio State's Justin Fields, North Dakota State's Trey Lance, BYU's Zach Wilson and Alabama's Mac Jones are among the other potential first-round options. 

Darnold's future with the Jets has been up in the air since the end of the regular season.

ESPN's Rich Cimini reported last month that new head coach Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur "have watched a lot of Sam Darnold tape and they believe he has untapped potential."

Saleh also praised Darnold's "unbelievable talent" during his introductory press conference last month, though he didn't commit to the former USC star as the Jets quarterback next season:

"There's a lot to Sam but there's so many discussions that need to be had and so many moving parts with regard to the rest of the roster, the whole entire building, the draft, free agency all of it to give an answer on where we are at that point, with (general manager) Joe (Douglas) and his staff, there's just a lot of discussions that have to be had."

Darnold is under contract for at least one more season, though the team has until May 4 to decide if it will exercise the fifth-year option on his rookie deal for 2022. 

Per Spotrac, Darnold will only count $9.79 million against the salary cap in 2021. 

The Jets traded up in the 2018 NFL draft to select Darnold with the No. 3 pick. He's shown flashes of the talent that made him a top prospect, but has struggled to find consistency through his first three seasons. 

Darnold has thrown for 8,097 yards, 45 touchdowns and 39 interceptions with a 58.9 completion percentage in 38 starts. 

If the New York Jets shop quarterback Sam Darnold on the trade market this offseason, they may get back a better value than people think.

ESPN's Adam Schefter speculated on the Haberman and MiddleKauff podcast that New York could get a late first-round pick for Darnold.

"I think with all of the movement going on—I think with what Matthew Stafford went for—I think that [Darnold's] value, in the end if they trade him, will be some sort of late one," he said.

The Jets have the No. 2 overall pick and likely will have their pick of quarterbacks not named Trevor Lawrence—Justin Fields, Zach Wilson and Trey Lance may all end up as top-10 picks—so if ever there were an offseason to cut bait with Darnold, this would be it.

The 23-year-old Darnold has not lived up to expectations since being the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft. In 2020 he threw for 2,208 yards, nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 12 games, completing 59.6 percent of his passes. His career 45-39 touchdown-to-interception rate and 59.8 completion percentage have been major disappointments.

Yes, it's fair to question if he's had the best coaching (the Jets went 9-23 under Adam Gase the past two years). He certainly hasn't had great offensive weapons. But Darnold also hasn't regularly shown he can elevate the level of his offensive counterparts. For both the Jets and Darnold, a divorce might make the most sense.

It could be a very busy year on the quarterbacks market. Deshaun Watson, by all accounts, wants out of Houston. The Philadelphia Eagles benched Carson Wentz down the stretch for Jalen Hurts, so there is uncertainty there. And Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Tuesday that the Las Vegas Raiders are expected to field calls for Derek Carr this offseason, allowing them to accumulate assets in an effort to trade for Watson.

"It could get to two first-round picks," an NFL insider told Bonsignore regarding the return the Raiders could get in a potential Carr trade. "He's not Stafford, but he's younger and he has a fair contract, so I could see two number ones."

And, of course, the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions already flipped Stafford and Jared Goff, with the Rams sending Detroit two-first round picks and a third to sweeten the pot (and for Detroit absorbing Goff's huge contract).

A whole lot of quarterbacks might have new addresses next season. It wouldn't be surprising if Darnold was among them.