With Darnold gone, Jets turn attention to BYU’s Wilson

NEWYORK» Joe Douglas and the New York Jets discussed, debated and contemplated every scenario surrounding Sam Darnold.

After all the agonizing over the “rabbit holes,” as the general manger called them, the choice to ultimately trade the promising but inconsistent quarterback was a sensible but far from simple solution.

“We felt like this was the best decision for the entire organization moving forward,” Douglas said Tuesday, “and hitting the reset button.”

So, the Jets are back in a familiar spot: searching for a franchise quarterback after dealing Darnold to Carolina on Monday for a sixth-round pick this year and second- and fourth-round selections next year.

New York thought it had its guy only three years ago when then-general manager Mike Maccagnan traded up in the draft to snag Darnold with the No. 3 overall pick. Instead, the Jets will now give it another try — this time with the No. 2 selection.

“I would say that’s a fair assessment,” Douglas said when asked if taking a quarterback at that spot is a safe assumption.

The increasingly swirling speculation has the Jets aiming squarely for BYU’s Zach Wilson, especially after Douglas, new coach Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur watched the young QB launch at the school’s pro day on March 26.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Young, an ESPN analyst and a former BYU star, recently said during a podcast on KNBR Sports Radio that the Jets “have committed to Zach and recruited the family.” Young added that he’d like the 49ers, his old team, to get Wilson but thinks New York is locked in on taking him.

“Steve’s plugged into BYU pretty well,” Douglas said, doing little to diminish those comments but adding he had a “brief” discussion with Wilson’s father and agent during the pro day in Provo, Utah.

“We’re excited about this class and we’re excited about this quarterback class,” Douglas said. “So we still have a lot of our process left in these three-plus weeks leading up to the draft and a lot of productive conversations, conversations in the future coming up.”