NFL Rumors: Jets Could Ship Away Sam Darnold And Flip No. 2 Pick To Land Deshaun Watson

The New York Jets could pull off a major offseason deal to ship away Sam Darnold and replace him with Deshaun Watson, one writer speculates.

In his latest mock draft, Josh Edwards of CBS Sports predicted that the Jets will send away their third-year signal-caller in favor of Watson. He forecasted that they could put together a package that includes the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft along with other compensation to send to the Houston Texans in exchange for the unhappy Watson. The relationship between Watson and the team’s front office has reportedly soured to the point that he is seeking an early exit, and Edwards believes the Jets could be a good landing point.

As he noted, this would allow Houston to make up for sending a high draft pick to the Miami Dolphins last year.

“New York acquires Deshaun Watson in exchange for the No. 2 overall selection, the No. 23 overall selection and future compensation,” he wrote. “Hypothetically, Houston would have had the No. 3 overall selection if they had never made the Laremy Tunsil trade. Possessing two of the top three picks would have been quite the way to start a rebuild, which is the direction in which it appears the Texans are headed.”

Edwards also envisioned the Jets trading Darnold to the New Orleans Saints.

There are others who see the Jets as a potential destination for Watson should he ultimately be traded by Houston. ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote that they may have the best chance of putting together a package that would entice the Texans to deal their franchise signal-caller.

“There’s no team out there better positioned than the Jets to put together a compelling trade package for Deshaun Watson,” Schefter tweeted.

It remains unclear what the Jets plan to do with Darnold, who has struggled with inconsistency and injury through his three seasons with the team. As the New York Post noted, new Jets head coach Robert Saleh had some big praise for the quarterback at his opening press conference, taking note of his “unbelievable arm talent” and fearlessness in the pocket, but stopped short of committing to him for another season.

For most of the season, the Jets had been in line for the top overall selection and a chance to take top prospect Trevor Lawrence, but a late-season winning streak put them out of the No. 1 spot and into a more uncertain position regarding the quarterback position.