New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold knows the NFL is a business but admits it hurt a bit seeing former general manager Mike Maccagnan being fired. Maccagnan was the guy who pulled the trigger on Darnold last year at the third pick and that is something he will always be grateful.
“Yeah, it's tough whenever someone loses his job in any business. You understand and you feel for them,” Darnold said via the Jets team website. “But this business is tough, it's a hard deal, and that's just part of it. I'll forever be grateful for Mike and what he's done for me. Taking me third overall was a life-changing experience and I'll forever be grateful for that.”
Darnold looks like the real deal and will be one of the best picks in the Maccagnan era, but the reason he got fired, was for all the bust draft picks that he picked. There has been a lot of change this offseason for Darnold but he feels more comfortable heading into his second season.
Even though he is having to learn a new offense Darnold is excited about how aggressive coach Adam Gase wants to be.
“It's been really fun to be able to learn a new offense and kind of understand what Coach Gase wants to do, how aggressive he wants to be,” Darnold said. “But we're making sure we take a step back and realize it's not going to be perfect day one or day two or day three. This week it was definitely a process.
Expectations are high for the Jets and Darnold this season and with a good career maybe Maccagnan's time in New York can be deemed a success.