The third pick in the 2018 NFL draft, Darnold won just 13 games over the first three seasons of his career with the Jets. The former USC Trojan was traded during the 2021 offseason shortly after former 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was named head coach for New York.
Starving for a quarterback, the Carolina Panthers sent a 2021 sixth-round pick and second and fourth-round picks in 2022 to New York in exchange for Darnold.
After another down season in 2021, Darnold was replaced by Baker Mayfield and P.J. Walker to begin 2022. Darnold got another chance after Mayfield was benched due to poor play and Walker was injured.