In the days that have followed rookie quarterback Sam Darnold agreeing to his contract with the New York Jets, there has been a considerable amount of attention toward how things unfolded.
Darnold has been quite upfront with the entire process to which he voiced that it was difficult for him to wait for his agent and the team to work out the deal but at the same time held firm he knew what needed to be done on both sides, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.
Article Continues Below“It sucked watching it, but at the same time, I knew what needed to be done,” he said. “I knew it was necessary.”
This was a situation that his agent had to get straight the particulars to get the best possible deal for him on his first NFL contract. He was able to get $20 million guaranteed that will be given to him over the next couple of weeks. It is something that has put him behind track a bit for missing the first few days, but it shouldn't hurt his chances to secure the starting job to begin the 2018 season possibly.
Darnold can now focus on what he can do on the practice field and the preseason to make a strong case to be named the starter at some point over the next month. The Jets are expected to give him every chance to earn the starting job competing alongside Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater for that vaunted spot.
More importantly, the fact that the contract situation didn't linger on too long has prevented it from becoming an unnecessary issue hanging overhead the franchise with their rookie quarterback. It allows for the focus to be shifted quickly back to the quarterback situation at hand with the starting job being an open competition.