Now that the Jets have their franchise QB in Sam Darnold, Mike Maccagnan can build a championship contender
Jets quarterback Sam Darnold warms up before a game against the Vikings at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 21. Credit: Lee S. Weissman/Lee S. Weissman
FLORHAM PARK, N.J.
For Mike Maccagnan, the latest evidence that the Jets are on the path toward building a championship team came Thursday morning.
“I was sitting in my office earlier and noticed the first guy running out to practice today was Sam Darnold, maybe 20 minutes before everybody else, to get warmed up,” Maccagnan said. “Some of those things you really feel good about as you go through this process.”
No, it wasn’t a game-winning touchdown pass in the final minute, but it played a significant role in convincing the Jets’ fourth-year general manager that his team has its most important piece. While the frustration level has grown among fans who wanted immediate results instead of a third straight 3-5 record, Maccagnan believes his team has a promising future now that a franchise quarterback is in place.
It’s not an unreasonable take, even if the GM is under fire from the MetLife Stadium faithful. Even if you believe Darnold is the real deal – and I do – surrounding him with capable talent is not an instantaneous process. The Jets need more receivers, especially an unquestioned No. 1 target. They need more running backs now that starter Bilal Powell’s Jets career likely is over because of a neck injury. They need a bona fide pass rusher after years of playing without one.
Maccagnan acknowledges some of his draft shortcomings. “There’s definitely picks that haven’t worked out,” he said. “But again, that’s part of our business.”
Maccagnan missed on quarterbacks Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty. Receivers Devin Smith and Chad Hansen didn’t work out. But there still is a solid young core, starting with Darnold. Safeties Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye are long-term solutions. Tackle Brandon Shell has developed into a reliable blocker. Rookie tight end Chris Herndon looks promising. After an uncertain beginning, linebacker Darron Lee has turned the corner.
There isn’t enough here to contend for a championship yet, no question. There might not even be enough to sneak into the playoffs this year as a wild card. But with Darnold getting important experience as a first-year starter, and with an upcoming offseason in which the Jets will have nearly $100 million in salary-cap space, there is an opportunity for meaningful improvement in 2019 and beyond.
“What really separates things is the quarterback,” Maccagnan said. “That’s why quarterback has become so much more impactful when you look at teams having a window of success over a period of time. The focal point is always when you potentially find that quarterback.”
Until now, Maccagnan never had him. He had hoped Hackenberg would be the guy, but the former Penn State star was a bust and already is out of the league. Petty wasn’t the answer, either. Josh McCown did as much as he possibly could last year to settle down the position, but he always was a short-term bridge. The 21-year-old Darnold, however, offers a long-term passer around which to build.
“When and how you find that [quarterback] sometimes happens quickly, sometimes it doesn’t,” Maccagnan said. “The big thing is when you have a vision for what you want to build. You want to build a team with a young quarterback that can be your guy and then build things around that.”
Flush with cap space, the Jets will go into 2019 with a chance to sign a player such as edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. The Jets inquired about him in trade talks with the Jaguars but didn’t dare engage in a bidding war with the Rams, who surrendered third- and fifth-round picks for a player who will be a free agent next year. Maybe Maccagnan will go after Steelers holdout running back Le’Veon Bell. There will be other talented players, even in the lower salary spectrum, who can help.
Yes, the Jets still are a long way from putting another Super Bowl trophy next to the one that Joe Namath helped win a half-century ago. But with Darnold, they’re certainly a lot closer. And with Maccagnan pledging to be “very active” in the offseason, they’ll be closer still by this time next year.
Even if it doesn't feel that way to Jets fans running out of patience with the general manager.
Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”
