The Jets are going to have to make a decision: Do they roll with their 23-year-old quarterback, taken No. 3 overall in 2018, or do they draft a new one?
That decision seemed to be made for them for much of the year. They were in line for the No. 1 overall selection after losing their first 13 games. That would've meant the opportunity to select one of the most widely-regarded can't-miss prospects in the draft in Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
But suddenly things have gotten more complicated for them. The Jets have actually . . . won. Twice. They're locked into the No. 2 pick in the draft, and there are a couple of highly-touted quarterback prospects who'll be available to them. But they aren't quite viewed as on the same plane as Lawrence.
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So now there's a bit of a discussion. They could stick with Sam Darnold. Or they could take Ohio State's Justin Fields and make him the face of the franchise. Or they could go with BYU's Zach Wilson.
If they do opt to take a new quarterback, Darnold could be made available. We've speculated on a possible marriage between Darnold and the Patriots -- unlikely as it may be that the Jets would allow a young player at that position make his way north to Foxboro. And he's been coached by Adam Gase, who has experience working under Josh McDaniels in a Patriots-style system, and for whom Bill Belichick has loads of respect.
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But what does Belichick think of the kid?
Asked Wednesday if Darnold looks like the player the league believed he was two-and-a-half-years ago when he was taken ahead of Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, Belichick laid out in detail what makes Darnold a promising player at the game's most important position.
"I think he's got the ability to make all the throws," Belichick said. "Can throw down the field, intermediate throws. Plenty of examples of him going through a read progression . . . I think he's shown the ability to do everything.
"The consistency has looked better in recent weeks. Don't think there's any shortage of talent there, playmaking ability. We saw him run . . . He's an athletic guy that has great size. Good arm. Hard to tackle in the pocket. Good prospect."
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Belichick also said Wednesday that Darnold has played "error-free" of late, but he ranks near the bottom of the league in just about every statistical category this season. Among 30 quarterbacks with 300 dropbacks this year, he's 28th in completion percentage (58.8), 29th in yards per attempt (5.9) and 29th in touchdown passes (8) ahead of only Cam Newton (5). He ranks 34th in EPA/play, according to The Athletic's Ben Baldwin, 33rd in success rate (ahead of only Dwayne Haskins), and 29th in completion percentage above expected (just behind Newton).
It's unclear if Darnold will become available this offseason. But if he does, despite the numbers, he'd make sense for any quarterback-needy team based on his skill set and price tag alone.
If acquired via trade, he's under contract for a base salary of just $920,000 next season and could be a low-risk add at the most important position in the sport.