CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers announced Monday they have traded the New York Jets for quarterback Sam Darnold.
In exchange, the Jets will get the Panthers’ sixth-round pick in the 2021 draft and a second- and fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft.
“I just think that in this offense, with the weapons we have around him,” explained Panthers GM Scott Fitterer, “that he can take that next step with us.”
Darnold played college football for USC and the Jets drafted him as the third overall pick in 2018.
But the 23-year-old has struggled in his three professional seasons, with a completion percentage of 59, and a rating of 78.6.
The Panthers’ current starting quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater, signed a three-year, $63-million contract with the Panthers in March 2020.
But his debut with the Panthers did not inspire confidence that he was the long-term solution for the franchise.
While Fitterer said Darnold and Bridgewater could compete for the position, he also indicated he’d spoken to Bridgewater and his representatives, and could find a trade partner for him as well.