It did not take long for the New York Jets to find their next head coach in Adam Gase. It appears they have benefited from having a talented, young quarterback like Sam Darnold on the roster.
Darnold showed plenty of promise despite a rough rookie season. According to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, Gase admitted that he is looking forward to helping him develop under center:
For Gase, the appeal of the Jets job was tied to where he can go with Sam Darnold. Gase said the “No. 1 thing” that interested him was Darnold’s presence on the roster and that he’s excited about the chance to “get with a guy this young, this early in his career.”
Gase's comments should come as no surprise. He had inherited a Miami Dolphins team that already committed quarterback Ryan Tannehill just years before. Tannehill's lack of progression can largely be attributed to his track record with injuries. Gase now has an opportunity to essentially start from scratch with Darnold.
Gase is certainly familiar with Darnold after facing off against him twice in the AFC East Division this season. The rookie did put on his best performances against Miami. Regardless, it is clear he did more than enough to catch the opposing head coach's attention.
First and foremost, New York will need to focus on surrounding Darnold with a talented supporting cast. Quarterbacks such as Jared Goff and Mitch Trubisky experienced enormous jumps into their second years amidst their new coaching changes. It is safe to assume Darnold can do the same given how much more raw skill he has than both the aforementioned players.
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