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New York Jets coach Adam Gase was hired almost two years ago in large part to train quarterback Sam Darnold. On Thursday, Gase admitted for the first time that he was failing.
“I came here to help him, to help him develop his career, and we weren’t able to do that,” said Gase, who is 7-20 and chaired the NFL’s worst offense. for most of two seasons.
His comments might seem obvious, given the team’s deep struggles, but they’re noteworthy because Gase has always spoken upbeat about Darnold’s progress. His assessment comes with five games left in the season, at which point the coach will likely be fired.
Gase said he hopes Darnold can finish on a round.
“This is why every game is so important,” he said. “Keep trying to help him grow, keep trying to help him develop and see things the way he needs to see them and play like I’ve seen him play in some games.”
Gase has made it clear he does not blame Darnold for the historic poor season (0-11), saying every position has contributed to the problems.
“We have to get it right around him, but at the same time it’s up to me to get him to play better than he played,” said Gase. “I didn’t do a good enough job.”
Darnold is 0-7 this season (missing four games with a shoulder injury) and has designed just six touchdowns. He is the lowest-rated passer in the NFL, scoring 64.0 in his career. He played four straight games without a touchdown assist, the longest drought for a Jets quarterback since Geno Smith in 2013.
“Yeah, that’s frustrating,” Gase said of the affected drought. “For him personally, I’m sure he’s bothered by it knowing things like that.
“I consider that we have to do a better job as a staff. We have to put these guys in the best possible position, and these guys have to go and perform. It’s on all of us. We have to find a way to make a better job. We have to find a way to get the ball into the end zone. “
Darnold, drafted third overall in 2018, just had a two-steal performance against the Miami Dolphins. He hopes to turn the tide on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders at MetLife Stadium.
Its future is a major question. The Jets will likely have the first or second pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and they could have a pick between Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields, the presumed top two picks.
If general manager Joe Douglas decides to draft one of them, he’ll be looking to swap Darnold, who has one year left on his rookie deal. The amount of his fifth-year option for 2022 is expected to be around $ 25 million, fully guaranteed – a seemingly prohibitive salary.
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