New York Jets

Adam Gase is running out of excuses for the poor play of the New York Jets.

The Jets dropped to 0-5 on Sunday after losing to the Arizona Cardinals 30-10, and Gase told reporters after the game that the team's struggles have been a surprise given how well it's practiced: 

It's the first time since 1996 that the Jets have started the season 0-5. If Gase isn't on the hot seat within the organization, he's 100 percent on the social media hot seat:

The question the Jets will have to answer will be whether it makes sense to fire Gase now or wait until the offseason. Barring a miraculous turnaround, it's hard to imagine Gase remaining in charge beyond the 2020 season. He's now 7-14 as the team's head coach and 30-39 in his time as a head coach dating back to his three years with the Miami Dolphins (2016-18). 

The Jets also got off to a dreadful start last year, going 1-7 before winning six of their next eight games to finish 7-9. So perhaps this group will turn things around as well. Before Sunday's game, linebacker Jordan Jenkins said the Jets players still care.

"In the past, there were teams where guys were losing and were like, 'OK, we're losing, eventually we'll get it right,' and then doing the same thing and getting the same results," he told reporters. "Guys from every part of the team have asked, 'What can we do to change, because whatever we've been doing is not working?'"

He also said a big factor in last year's turnaround was the players staying tight and holding each other accountable:

"The one thing we did was guys didn't point fingers. We had meetings as a team and, in front of everybody, all the mistakes that were made were called out. The play you messed up or the mental error you had was pointed out in front of the team and coaches, and it got corrected then and there. That's something we might be doing moving forward, because no one wants to be dogged out in front of the whole team. It's embarrassing."

That might help. But the Jets may be reaching a point where the person who will ultimately be held accountable for another poor start to the year is the head coach. 

A 0-4 start could have the New York Jets thinking about moving on from quarterback Sam Darnold, although multiple general managers believe he is not worth a first-round pick in a trade, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"I don't think they'd get a [first-round pick] for Sam, but it also depends what he puts on tape the rest of the year," one GM said. "The problem is, [Darnold] is struggling with his accuracy, his durability—so they're in a tough spot. And if everyone knows the Jets are taking a quarterback, then they won't get as much back."

Darnold was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft but has just three touchdown passes and four interceptions this season, leading to a career-low 70.7 quarterback rating.

If the team ends up with the No. 1 overall draft pick this year, the Jets could draft a new quarterback—presumably Clemson's Trevor Lawrence—and trade Darnold.

The return is a significant question mark, however, with another general manager predicting a second- to fourth-round range.

"The high-water mark would be a [second-round pick] for him," a GM said. "I think they could get a [fourth-round pick] for him, but if he finished positive for him, they might get a 2 for him. In college, he was a turnover machine. In the NFL, he has been a turnover machine. I just don't think he has the credentials to go for a 1."

Darnold has certainly displayed impressive flashes during his young career, especially showing off his agility over the past few weeks:

He is also far from the only cause of the Jets' struggles with the team also allowing the third-most points in the NFL this season.

A quarterback-needy team could bet on the talent and hope a better situation could lead to more success for Darnold. Schefter speculated the Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints could all be in the market this offseason.

The winless New York Jets are expected to get help on offense in Week 5 with Le'Veon Bell's return from a hamstring injury. 

Per ESPN's Rich Cimini, the Jets will activate Bell off injured reserve Saturday to put him in their running back rotation against the Arizona Cardinals. 

The Jets are desperate for any good news, especially on offense. Sam Darnold has already been ruled out for Sunday with a shoulder injury. Rookie offensive tackle Mekhi Becton (shoulder) and wide receiver Breshad Perriman (ankle) are listed as doubtful. 

Joe Flacco will make his first start as a member of the Jets. It will mark his first start since Oct. 27, 2019, with the Denver Broncos. 

Bell injured his hamstring in the first half of New York's season-opening loss to the Buffalo Bills. He finished the game with 14 rushing yards on six carries. The Jets placed him on injured reserve on Sept. 15, meaning he had to miss a minimum of three games. 

New York designated Bell to return on Wednesday, giving the team a 21-day window for him to practice before it decided if he would play or go on season-ending injured reserve. 

Depending on how head coach Adam Gase wants to use his running backs, Bell and Frank Gore could split reps Sunday. 

The Jets will host the Cardinals at 1 p.m. ET.

The New York Jets announced the presumptive positive COVID-19 test that led them to send all players and personnel home Friday was a false positive.

The announcement explained the team "received negative PCR COVID-19 test results for all players, coaches and personnel." The Jets also said they will continue to follow the league's health and safety protocols.

Sunday's game between the Jets and Arizona Cardinals is still scheduled to happen.

This is surely a welcome development. Aside from the health implications, the NFL has already made multiple adjustments to its Week 5 slate because of positive COVID-19 results.

The Denver Broncos-New England Patriots game was moved to Monday because of positive tests for the Patriots, while the game between the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans was moved from Sunday to Tuesday because of positive tests for the Titans.

What's more, the league may move a Week 6 game between the Bills and Kansas City Chiefs from Thursday to Sunday because of the adjustment to Buffalo's Week 5 game, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports noted 23 Titans players and personnel have tested positive for COVID-19 since Sept. 24, which is why their Week 4 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers was moved to Week 7.

On Wednesday, Judy Battista of NFL Network spoke with the league's chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills, and he suggested the NFL still had the option to pause the season if positive tests remain an issue.

The Jets are off to an 0-4 start and will look to turn things around against the 2-2 Cardinals.

The New York Jets sent their players and coaches home Friday after a player was presumed to have tested positive for COVID-19, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Schefter added that the Arizona Cardinals had been scheduled to fly out Friday for their scheduled Sunday road game against the Jets, but it is unclear if that will happen with the status of the game potentially up in the air.

Per ESPN's Rich Cimini, the player who may have tested positive has been re-tested, and the results of that test should be known at some point on Friday.

The Week 5 schedule has already been impacted by COVID-19, as the New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos game was moved from Sunday to Monday following positive tests within the Patriots organization, and the Tennessee Titans vs. Buffalo Bills was moved from Sunday to Tuesday because of a COVID-19 outbreak among Titans players and personnel.

Moving the Tennessee vs. Buffalo game to Tuesday—provided the Titans have no additional positive tests between now and then—also led to a change to the Week 6 schedule, with Buffalo vs. Kansas City Chiefs getting moved from next Thursday to the following Sunday.

The Titans, who have reportedly had over 20 positive COVID-19 tests within their organization since Sept. 24, also had their scheduled Week 4 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers postponed until Week 7.

The NFL will have several options to consider regarding the Jets vs. Cardinals game if the presumed positive test is confirmed to be positive.

Playing the game Sunday is a possibility, as is moving it to Monday or Tuesday. It could also be moved to a future week, although that would take some maneuvering since the Cardinals have a Week 8 bye and the Jets have a Week 11 bye.

According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, those within the Jets organization are confident that protocols have been followed well and are hopeful that if the presumed positive test is confirmed, it will be isolated.

If the game does happen this week, veteran quarterback and one-time Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco will get his first start under center for the Jets, as Sam Darnold is dealing with a sprained AC joint.

The Jets enter Week 5 with an 0-4 record and are in danger of letting the season get away from them completely with another loss.

Although the Cardinals have had back-to-back disappointing losses to the Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers since starting 2-0, they will be favored to beat New York if the game happens primarily because of the strong play of second-year quarterback Kyler Murray.

New York Jets starting quarterback Sam Darnold will miss at least one game because of a shoulder injury he suffered in Week 4.  

Head coach Adam Gase told reporters on Wednesday that Joe Flacco will start this week's game against the Arizona Cardinals. 

Per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, Darnold was diagnosed with an AC shoulder joint sprain suffered during the Jets' 37-28 loss to the Denver Broncos on Oct. 1. 

The injury occurred when Broncos linebacker Alexander Johnson sacked Darnold, who landed on his right (throwing) shoulder.

It remains to be seen if the 23-year-old is the long-term answer at quarterback for the Jets franchise. He had the usual and expected struggles of a rookie signal-caller in the 2018 season, throwing for 2,865 yards, 17 touchdowns and 15 interceptions while completing just 57.7 percent of his passes in 13 starts. 

But Darnold didn't take a major leap forward in 2019, throwing for 3,024 yards, 19 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while completing just 61.9 percent of his passes, again in 13 starts. While the Jets were 4-9 in his starts as a rookie, though, that number improved to 7-6 last year. 

However, with the team off to a disappointing 0-4 start—and Darnold posting lackluster numbers of 792 passing yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions—it's fair to question whether he's truly a player the Jets can build around. 

Granted, he's never been surrounded with average—let alone good—weapons at the skill positions on offense. He's been behind poor offensive lines. And it's also fair to question whether Gase has done much for his development given the team's struggles under his watch. 

So it's hard to completely judge Darnold's career to this point. The context of his situation in New York has clouded the picture. 

Regardless, the Jets will now be without him, at least for the time being. Flacco will be making his first start of the season after completing two passes last week against the Broncos. 

Authorities dropped felony weapons charges against New York Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, his attorney said Monday.

"As we said from the outset, this matter has been resolved with no criminal charges—this case was nothing more than a technical issue with the storing of the firearm which is why the government gave Mr. Williams nothing more than a ticket," Alex Spiros said in a statement to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. 

Williams was arrested on a criminal possession of a weapon charge March 5 after attempting to board a plane with his handgun. He has a permit for the gun in the state of Alabama but was arrested at LaGuardia Airport in New York, where the gun was not registered.

Only authorized officials are allowed to carry guns onto planes. Weapons must be checked and properly stored during the flight. 

Spiros did not say what fine Williams paid in order to avoid charges.

.

Coming off Thursday's 37-28 loss to the Denver Broncos, the New York Jets could be without Sam Darnold because of a shoulder injury.

Jets head coach Adam Gase told reporters on Friday that Darnold could miss time with a sprained right shoulder. 

Darnold suffered the injury during the first quarter when he landed on his shoulder after being sacked by Alexander Johnson. The third-year quarterback briefly left the game to be looked at by the Jets medical staff before returning during their first possession of the second quarter. 

Speaking to reporters after the game, Darnold didn't sound concerned about his shoulder. 

"I've had something similar, so I wasn't too worried," he said. "Once they told me I could go out there again, I started to get excited."

Darnold finished the game 23-of-42 for 230 yards passing. He also had 84 yards rushing and one touchdown on six carries. His 54.8 completion percentage and 5.5 yards per attempt were his lowest in four games this season. 

The Jets' next game will be against the Arizona Cardinals at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 11. 

If Darnold is unable to play, Joe Flacco will likely be New York's starting quarterback. The 35-year-old went 2-of-2 for 16 yards on Thursday after Darnold left the game. His last start was for the Broncos against the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 27, 2019. 

The New York Jets will not part ways with head coach Adam Gase following Thursday night's 37-28 loss to the Denver Broncos. It may be a while before the franchise even considers letting Gase go. 

The Athletic's Connor Hughes reports Thursday's outcome has no impact on the Jets' plan to let Gase finish out the year on the sidelines before evaluating his status.

Per Hughes: 

"The Jets made up their minds before Thursday’s contest. The plan is for Gase to remain the team’s coach throughout the season, barring any dramatic circumstances that would make a change unavoidable."

Gase is 7-13 as head coach of the Jets with the team starting 0-4 to begin the 2020 season.

According to Hughes, the Jets hired Gase in 2018 only after fellow candidate Kliff Kingsbury joined the Arizona Cardinals and New York brass "weren't content" with the staff then-Baylor coach Matt Rhule wanted to install. The team also did not feel confident bringing in Mike McCarthy. 

That led the team back to Gase, who went 23-25 in three seasons with the Miami Dolphins before he was fired. Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan was fired only months after bringing Gase to New York, and the pressure has been on the coach since. 

Part of the reason why the Jets are continuing to stick with him this season, Hughes notes, is to ensure the front office can properly evaluate quarterback Sam Darnold: 

"While there were some internal discussions, the externally unpopular decision to keep Gase seems centered around Darnold and his development. That remains the most important aspect of this season. Despite this being his third year, the 23-year-old is still an unknown. At times, he looks very much like the franchise quarterback the Jets hoped he’d be. At others, sometimes in the same game, he looks lost. It’s unclear if the quarterback’s inconsistencies are because of himself, poor coaching, or surrounding talent. The Jets need to have a concrete evaluation of him before the end of the year. At 0-4, and with the challenging portion of their schedule upcoming, there’s a very real chance they’re in a position to draft Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence in April. They need to know what they have in Darnold before they consider that. Firing Gase now will further cloud Darnold’s development." 

On Thursday, Darnold played through a sprained shoulder while completing 23 of 42 passes for 230 yards with another 84 yards and a touchdown on the ground. 

“I love Adam," Darnold told reporters after the game. "But it’s not my decision to make.” 

Unless something big changes in the coming weeks, it won't be a decision at all until after the 2020 season. 

New York Jets head coach Adam Gase told reporters quarterback Sam Darnold suffered a sprained right shoulder in Thursday night's 37-28 loss to the Denver Broncos.

Darnold left the game in the second quarter but was able to return. He finished 23-of-42 for 230 yards. He was also sacked six times behind New York's patchwork offensive line. 

Now in his third NFL season, Darnold has missed a total of six games to date. He sat out three games in 2018 because of injury and another three last season after contracting mono. The Jets were 0-6 in games Darnold missed.

Joe Flacco signed a one-year contract in May to serve as Darnold's backup. The veteran spent 2019 with the Denver Broncos, starting eight games before going on injured reserve with a herniated disc in his neck.

Flacco hasn't been an above-average NFL quarterback since 2014, so it's unlikely he's going to do much to help a struggling Jets offense if Darnold misses additional time and Flacco is forced into starting duty.