There is a rumor from Cecil Lammey of The Fan 104.3 and Football Guys that the New York Jets turned down a first-round pick offered by the San Francisco 49ers earlier this offseason for quarterback Sam Darnold (h/t to Matt Audilet of The Spun). Of course, this was when the Niners sat at No. 12 overall, before trading up last month to the No. 3 spot.
What on Earth would keep Joe Douglas and company from jumping at an offer like that? Lammey states that there were some concerns surrounding Zach Wilson's shoulder, and the Jets wanted to wait until the former BYU quarterback's pro day to evaluate the shouder's status.
Wilson's pro day was on March 26. That's the same day the 49ers executed their blockbuster move up the draft board. The Jets ended up trading Darnold to the Carolina Panthers for a 2021 sixth-round pick and second- and fourth-rounders in 2022.
Ah, what might have been. League sources tell me #Jets turned down #49ers first-round pick for Sam Darnold earlier this offseason. Joe Douglas & co. had concerns about Zach Wilson's shoulder & wanted to see his pro day. Now, super confident & will likely be no2 pick #NFLDraft
— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) April 14, 2021
Now, there are some potential flaws in this report. The most obvious is that if you receive an offer of a first-round pick for Darnold, you probably won't hesitate to say, "Yes, please, and thank you." There were reports that the 49ers were interested in the former No. 3 overall pick, but were they interested enough to surrender their first-round pick?
Of course, we are assuming that the offer was this year's first-rounder.
Another questionable aspect of the report is that even with some doubts surrounding Wilson, at the time, there were options like Justin Fields and Trey Lance that could have come into play. But maybe you want to hold onto Darnold in that scenario and allow a rookie to sit and learn behind a more experienced passer. That's what San Francisco reportedly plans to do with Jimmy Garoppolo and whomever they choose at No. 3.
Even the 49ers would reportedly rethink their plan should a team offer them a first-rounder for Garoppolo. Why wouldn't the Jets be as equally interested in another organization offering a massive overpay?
Of course, none of this matters now. The Jets appear set to draft Wilson at No. 2, and San Francisco will have its choice of Fields, Lance, or even Mac Jones at No. 3.