Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold thought he’d always be Jets quarterback Sam Darnold.
Darnold says that when the Jets selected him with the third overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, he expected to be a Jets legend who would play for the team for decades and bring the Lombardi Trophy to New York.
“My expectations were to go in there and play 20 years and win Super Bowls. That was the dream going in there but obviously it didn’t work out,” Darnold said, via the New York Daily News. “Just thankful for the opportunity that organization gave me the three years that I was with them.”
That never came close to happening. Darnold lasted three seasons in New York, and the Jets had a losing record in all three.
“I always thought that I could make it work in New York, just being honest, I really did,” Darnold said. “My goal never changed even though there was speculation about me getting traded. I always believed that I can make it work and that we were going to get pieces and just win some games in New York and can go to the playoffs and eventually win a Super Bowl.”
Darnold said his advice for his successor as Jets quarterback (likely BYU’s Zach Wilson) would be, “Just have fun with it. At the end of the day it’s football.”