Why did the Jets trade Sam Darnold? QB's New York stats, exit and more

The first NFL game in London for the 2024 NFL season is set for Week 5 with a matchup between the Minnesota Vikings (4-0) and New York Jets (2-2). It's the second of five international NFL games this season following Week 1's Eagles-Packers game in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Minnesota's been one of the surprises of the season through four weeks. The undefeated Vikings have the best point differential in the league (57) with a top-five scoring offense and defense. Leading that No. 4-ranked scoring offense is former Jets quarterback Sam Darnold, whose 11 touchdowns and 118.9 quarterback rating are league-highs.

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The Jets selected Darnold No. 3 overall in the 2018 NFL draft. He was the youngest of the five quarterbacks to be selected in the first round. He's facing his former team for the second time this Sunday. Here's why the Jets let him go.

Why did the Jets trade Sam Darnold?

New York went 2-14 in 2020 – the second-worst season in franchise history by win-loss record – setting them up with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. The franchise made significant changes hours after the regular season finished, starting with the firing of coach Adam Gase and later trading Darnold to the Carolina Panthers. New York got a sixth-round draft pick in 2021 and a second- and fourth-round pick in 2022 in return.

With the Jets, Darnold wasn't overly effective, and he also dealt with organizational turmoil. Darnold's first head coach, Todd Bowles, was fired after his rookie season. The Jets then hired the controversial Gase who had just been let go in Miami.

New York opted to use the No. 2 pick on BYU quarterback Zach Wilson and start a rebuild under new coach Robert Saleh. Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos this offseason and Aaron Rodgers is the Jets' starter for 2024.

Darnold played the Jets in Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season, his first game since being traded out of New York. Darnold and the Panthers won 19-14.

Sam Darnold trade details

The three picks New York received for Darnold did not stay intact. The Jets packaged the sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft (No. 226 overall) with a fifth-round pick in a trade to Kansas City for No. 175 and No. 207 overall. New York selected defensive back Jason Pinnock and defensive tackle Jonathan Marshall with those two selections. Neither player is still with the team.

In the 2022 NFL draft, New York packaged the second-round pick from Carolina in a trade with the Giants to move up two spots. They used the pick to draft running back Breece Hall. They used the final draft pick from Carolina (111th overall) to select offensive tackle Max Mitchell.

Sam Darnold's New York Jets stats

Darnold played three season with the Jets from 2018 through 2020. In 38 games with New York, he went 13-25 as a starter. The 2019 season was his best when he went 7-6 and posted career-highs in passing yards (3,024) and touchdowns (19).

In total, he competed 59.8% of his passes for 8,097 yards, 45 touchdowns, and 39 interceptions as a New York Jet.

Which teams has Sam Darnold played for in the NFL?

Darnold spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons in Carolina. He went 4-7 in 2021 and was set to be the starter in 2022 before a preseason ankle injury sidelined him for most of the season. When he returned, he sparked a turnaround for the Panthers and went 4-2 in the final six weeks.

Darnold was a free agent after 2022 and signed with the San Francisco 49ers for the 2023 season. He appeared in 10 games but started just one: Week 18 against the Los Angeles Rams. He went 16 for 26 for 189 yards and a touchdown in a 21-20 loss.

He signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Vikings ahead of the 2024 season and has been the starter all season following rookie J.J. McCarthy's season-ending injury.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sam Darnold trade, revisited: Why Jets moved on from QB