When the Jets traded an enormous sum of draft capital to draft Sam Darnold — more draft capital, mind you, than the number one overall pick — the organization expected big results. Instead, it get the smallest results possible, which is just one reason why the Jets fired GM Mike Maccagnan last year.

Darnold was drafted with the 3rd overall pick in the 2018 Draft, the second quarterback selected after Baker Mayfield. And from 2018 to 2020, among the quarterbacks with at least 600 pass attempts, Darnold ranked dead last in both Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt and passer rating.

Five years earlier, the Jets also took the second-best quarterback prospect: after Buffalo drafted EJ Manuel in the first round, New York drafted Geno Smith with the 39th pick in the 2013 Draft. Smith was a superstar in college, but he flamed out in the NFL. In fact, among the qualifying passers with 600 pass attempts from 2013 to 2015 — i.e., the first three years of his career — Smith also pulled off the Darnold double, ranking dead last in both ANY/A and passer rating.

Back in 2009, Matthew Stafford was the first overall draft pick. The Jets traded up to get the #2 quarterback in that draft, Mark Sanchez. The Jets were perhaps the most talented team in the NFL during this window, and made it to back-to-back AFC Championship Games in spite of Sanchez. Because — and I know, you are going to be shocked to hear this — during the first three years of his career, Sanchez ranked dead last in passer rating and third from the bottom in ANY/A.

And now, in 2021, the Jets are once again going quarterback shopping. And, once again, the Jets will wind up selecting the #2 quarterback in the Draft. The first pick, of course, will be Trevor Lawrence, who will go to the Jaguars. New York will then have to decide who is the #2 prospect in the Draft, presumably either Justin Fields or Zach Wilson. And at this point, all Jets fans have to hope for is that he won’t be the worst passer from 2021 to 2023.