Adam Gates Supports Struggling Jets’ QB Sam Darnold

Sam Darnold with the New York Jets in 2018
Sam Darnold with the New York Jets in 2018. Photo by Albert Pena/CSM/REX/Shutterstock (9643632n)

Despite the expected growth in his third year as a pro, New York Jets’ quarterback Sam Darnold found himself struggling at the start of the 2020 NFL season. Darnold especially delivered a worrying performance in the 36-7 loss to Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, when he threw three interceptions and often looked lost on the field. 

Still, it appears that the Jets are not ready to give up on the 2017’s No.3 pick. Speaking with reporters on Monday, the team’s head coach Adam Gates expressed his support for Darnold, saying that the 23-year-old will get better with more games under his belt. 

“He just needs to keep playing,” said Gase. “He needs to keep playing and keep fixing the mistakes that are made and really emphasize the things he’s doing really well, and just keep building on those.”

Gase was asked about the possibility of benching Darnold but quickly brushed off the idea.

“That’s always a tough decision because he’s 23 years old and he’s in his third year,” he added. “Every snap he takes in a real game, they’re so valuable. They’re learning experiences. You have to go through tough situations sometimes.“

One of the reasons why Gase is hesitant to move on from Darnold might be the fact that he doesn’t have much behind him. Veteran Joe Flacco is still recovering from neck surgery while the current backup Mike White is yet to play a single snap in an official NFL game.

Jets selected Sam Darnold in 2017 with hopes of making him their franchise QB of the future. Things didn’t exactly turn out that way for the organization so far, considering that Darnold still hasn’t managed to show the capability to shoulder those expectations.

In his three years as a pro, Darnold completed just 60.0 percent of his passes, throwing for 6,451 yards and 39 touchdowns, while also having 32 interceptions.    

Harley loves music and tries to go to a music festival every summer. When he's not listening to music, he writes about movies, food and wine, art, and sport.