NY Jets: Sam’s #1

In one of the more anticlimactic Jets announcements of this year, the New York Jets have made official what most everyone already assumed: Sam Darnold will be the Jets starting quarterback on opening day.

Barring some unforeseen personal or health issue, Darnold will become the youngest opening day quarterback in NFL history at 21 years and 97 days under the bright lights of Monday Night Football September 10. The Jets go from having one of the oldest starting quarterbacks in the NFL last year in Josh McCown to the youngest opening day starter in league history this year in Darnold. Sam Darnold will become the third rookie quarterback in Jets history to start on opening day, joining Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith in that group.

Thus begins the era of Sam. From here hopes are high that long suffering Jets fans have finally got an elite quarterback to put them in the playoff hunt for the next dozen or more years. Those hopes have been dashed before, but this time just seems different, doesn’t it?