Sam could swing East
Trade for Jets QB would put Washington over top
Dak Prescott is signed in Dallas. Daniel Jones is back with the Giants. Jalen Hurts is the guy in Philadelphia. That’s what Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie wants everyone to believe, at least.
But the team that won the NFC East in 2020 doesn’t have its starting quarterback yet for 2021.
The Washington Football
Team is still on the hunt.
And the Jets’
Sam Darnold is one of several possible trade targets in a search that already has included unsuccessful pursuits of Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff, as well as overtures towards the Raiders’ Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota.
So the biggest and most intriguing domino yet to fall in this division as the start of free agency approaches is simple: Will Ron Rivera acquire a QB that helps Washington create separation in the NFC East, or will the plan be flawed, opening the door for another team to steal the crown?
Imagine if it’s Darnold: the Jets QB that Dave Gettleman passed on in 2018 to select Saquon Barkley No. 2 overall would be joining the division to play Jones head-to-head twice a year.
This season is a pivotal one for Jones. He needs to validate the organization’s belief that he is their franchise QB for the long haul.
Four of his eight wins in his 26 starts have come against Washington. He is a perfect 4-0 in the series, and the Giants have beaten Washington in five straight.
Would Jones continue mowing down Washington with Darnold calling FedEx Field home, or would the Football Team become a new thorn in the Giants’ side?
Washington’s interest is piqued by Darnold’s abilities and upside, I’m told, so he is an option. But he’s not their only one. Mariota is a name that keeps coming up, too.
Washington already tried to acquire Mariota, per The Athletic, and also showed interest in Carr, though the price for the Vegas starter might be prohibitive. So Mariota, the former No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 draft, is someone to watch.
Carolina’s Teddy Bridgewater would make sense as a trade target, having played for offensive coordinator Scott Turner in Minnesota from 2014-15 when Turner was the Vikings’ QB coach. Former Panthers GM Marty Hurney, now in Washington’s front office, also signed Bridgewater in Carolina last year.
You can even draw a connection from new Washington GM Martin Mayhew to his former QB in San Francisco, Jimmy Garoppolo, if the Niners bail on him.
And if the Saints go back on their word and don’t re-sign Jameis Winston, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft might make sense on a flier, as well.
The good news for the Giants, Cowboys and Eagles is that Washington does not appear to have the ammunition to acquire the Texans’ Deshaun Watson, holding such a
low first-round pick.
The Seahawks’ Russell Wilson doesn’t have them on his reported three-team trade list, either. That includes the Saints, Raiders and Bears.
Not to mention there’s no guarantee Washington will get Darnold or Mariota or whomever they prioritize in the coming weeks or days.
Washington already was in the sweepstakes to acquire both Stafford and Goff, before Stafford steered his way to the Rams in a swap from the Lions. Washington reportedly offered its first-round pick (No. 19 overall), a third-rounder and at least one player off their roster for Stafford. Goff’s price went too high.
If Mayhew and Rivera pursue Darnold as their new priority, there is a chance they could lose him to another suitor, such as the 49ers. The Niners have been linked with interest to Darnold, who might thrive in coach Kyle Shanahan’s play action heavy scheme.
And Jets GM Joe Douglas has stated publicly that he is open to calls, holding the No. 2 overall pick in April’s draft. So Washington isn’t the only team calling.
Washington is here because they released Alex Smith, the starter in that Week 17 win over the tanking Eagles to break the Giants’ hearts. Smith wanted out, too. Washington re-signed backups Kyle Allen and Taylor Heinicke, the near-hero of last season’s playoffs.
But they need their No. 1. The QB they acquire will either cement Washington as the class of the division or shift the balance of power. Trading for Darnold also would bring some welcome drama.
It will be fascinating to see who they land, and it could have a major impact on Jones’ third and defining season with the Giants.