THAT DARN GOOD!
Johnson: Sam will makeJetsgreatagain
IN SAM WE TRUST?
Jets CEO Christopher Johnson is downright thrilled that Sam Darnold might be the solution to the franchise’s half-century-old problem.
Johnson thinks that drafting Darnold coupled with the Jets’ flurry of offseason acquisitions will be a watershed moment for the organization.
“I think people are going to look back 20 years from now and say that this is the moment that the Jets shifted into a new gear and became a great team,” Johnson told reporters Tuesday at BTIG Charity Day. “I think we’ve got a real future with this kid, and he isn’t even 21 yet. We might have a long time with this young man. I hope so, because right now, I think he is really our future.
“I absolutely think that he can be our quarterback of the future. I’m not the GM. I’m not the head coach. But I can recognize a great football player.”
Johnson isn’t alone. There’s a strong belief on One Jets Drive that the franchise is putting together the right pieces to be a sustainable winner.
Team brass also believes Darnold can indeed be a true franchise quarterback.
“I am a really happy man,” Johnson said. “I think that we did really well. I think that the key to everything was moving up in the draft. That was not a move for the meek. In my view, it was a pretty aggressive move. People have argued that it was an expensive move. I think it was a move we had to make. We also got a little lucky. Luck goes a long way in the NFL. And we’ll see how far it can take us, but I’m really happy with how things stand right now.”
Darnold, expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft for months, fell to the Jets at No. 3 after the Cleveland Browns used the No. 1 pick to take Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield and the Giants decided to take running back Saquon Barkley.
Johnson told reporters Tuesday that he doesn’t believe that the crucible of New York will be too big for the young signal caller.
“He’s so good at playing football when everything goes wrong, when the pocket collapses,” Johnson said. “When it all goes to hell, he can throw across his body, he throws when his feet are in the wrong place. He can do a lot of things that are hard to teach. There are only a handful of times in a game when your feet are in the right place. So it’s nice when you have a quarterback who can do that. I think it bodes well for our future.”
“He’s not a flashy guy,” Johnson added. “I think he’s a good fit with New York. There’s nothing about him that looks like he has that deer-in-headlights feel. I think he’ll be fine.”