The New York Jets are expected to hire a new coach after the season, and that new coach will inherit a roster that needs major work on both sides of the ball, especially the offense. There's a reason why they've won only 14 games in the past three seasons.
But they have a quarterback, and that will make the job attractive.
Unlike current coach Todd Bowles, who inherited the mistake-prone Geno Smith when he got the job in 2015, the next coach will start his tenure with a potential star in Sam Darnold. He won't have to worry about signing a free-agent Band-Aid, and he won't have to travel the country scouting pro days because his guy already is in the building.
Darnold will be only 22 years old in 2019, having benefited from a season's worth of experience and scar tissue -- the battle wounds of an up-and-down rookie year. With proper coaching and an improved supporting cast, he should be so much better next season.
"Darnold is special," Jets cornerback Trumaine Johnson said after New York's 29-22 loss to the Houston Texans on Saturday night. "You see it. He's special, man. He kept us in the game, for sure."
Johnson is no quarterback expert, but he touched on an important point: He kept us in the game.
Darnold was the Jets' best player on offense, almost rallying a ragtag unit to an improbable victory. The great quarterbacks demonstrate the ability to make everybody better. Darnold is far from great as this point in his career, but you saw that trait in its embryonic stage.
Consider his supporting cast.
A third-string running back: Elijah McGuire.
A second-string center: Jonotthan Harrison.
A second-string right tackle (in the second half): Brent Qvale.
A kick returner at wide receiver: Andre Roberts
Despite the personnel deficiencies, Darnold passed for 253 yards and two touchdowns, including 66 yards and one touchdown on throws outside the pocket. In the past two games, including the come-from-behind victory over the Buffalo Bills, he had a 93.7 passer rating.
"He gave us a chance to try to win the ballgame," Bowles said of Saturday night, which turned into another heartbreaker because the Jets failed to protect a lead.
When a team has a young quarterback who can win games, as opposed to one whose job is to not lose them, it's a valuable commodity. It instills confidence in the rest of the team, and you could feel that vibe in the postgame locker room after the Houston loss. In 2009, the Jets had Mark Sanchez, a promising rookie, but it was a different feel; he rode the coattails of his teammates. Darnold is wearing the coat.
"Great performance," Texans coach Bill O'Brien, a longtime quarterbacks guru, said of Darnold. "He has a great future in this league."
Imagine if Darnold gets a wide receiver the caliber of Houston's DeAndre Hopkins, or even someone close to that. Imagine if he gets Le'Veon Bell at running back. Imagine if Chris Herndon continues to develop at tight end. Imagine if the Jets can make a couple of upgrades on the offensive line.
That's a lot of imagination, underscoring how far the Jets (4-10) need to go before they're a contender. Unfortunately for Bowles, he probably won't be around to enjoy the fruits of a fully developed Darnold. It's too bad, because Darnold has a chance to end the franchise's decadeslong quarterback curse.