A singular move saw a power shift in the AFC: Tom Brady is leaving the New England Patriots. All of a sudden, the AFC East has become a free-for-all and Sam Darnold and the New York Jets will be eager to capitalize on the situation.

This move meant that the AFC is bound to see some changes. One of those changes was immediate: Darnold suddenly became the longest-tenured starting pass-caller for the entire AFC East.

According to Jets Wire’s Spencer Aber, Darnold has been a starter for two complete seasons now. He was a Day 1 starter for the Jets and played in Week 1 of the 2018 campaign against the Detroit Lions.

However, it’s also important to point out that he’s not the active starting QB with the most starts in the entire conference. The title belongs to AFC East rival and Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen. He has 27 career starts, only one up over Darnold’s 26.

While it’s interesting to say that he’s the longest-tenured starter in the AFC East, he’s far from being the most elite in the entire AFC. With Brady’s departure, the crown of AFC’s best QB is now being competed over by Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson and Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes may hold that title as he led the Chiefs to an improbable Super Bowl win over the San Francisco 49ers at Super Bowl LIV, but Jackson is a two-dimensional QB who can be considered the second coming of Michael Vick.

While it stinks for Jets fans that Darnold is not even in the conversation, there’s no reason not to believe that he can pull it off the same way they did. All he needs is one terrific season and he can force his way into that conversation.