Pro football is a fast and cold business. On Thursday night, Jets quarterback Sam Darnold was hanging out with backup center Jonotthan Harrison, just a couple of good friends chilling on a couch, watching sports and enjoying the end of their third training camp together.
The next night, Darnold was blindsided by a text from Harrison, who reached out to tell his quarterback he had been released.
"At first, I really couldn’t believe it," Darnold told ESPN on Saturday. "For the last 2½ years, for lack of a better term, he’s been kind of like an older brother to me, showing me the ropes. It’s been fun, man, watching him come to work every day. He works harder than anyone I know. ... Jon is an incredible human being, a great leader and a great friend. He understands how much of a business football is. That's how we both have to look at it, but it does suck."
In the big picture, Harrison's departure isn't major news, but it shines a light on a dizzying trend: more change on the Jets' offense.
Harrison, who arrived in 2017 as a free agent, was the longest-tenured player on offense, a title he held for a month. (Previously, it belonged to guard Brian Winters, who was cut Aug. 3.) It leaves Darnold and tight end Chris Herndon -- both 2018 draft picks -- as the only holdovers from the previous coaching staff. Remarkable.
In Darnold's two seasons, the Jets have started 20 different skill-position players and 14 different linemen -- way too many. He's already on his fourth center, Connor McGovern, who followed Harrison, Ryan Kalil and Spencer Long.
The objective is clear -- the Jets are churning the roster in an attempt to build a formidable offense -- but the revolving door has to stop at some point. This is no way to groom a young, talented quarterback. Eventually, he must be given the opportunity to grow with a core group.
"For me, I know I can’t control any of that stuff, so I'm not going to sit here and worry about it," Darnold said. "Everyone knows that eventually we're going to need stability, but we have to find the right pieces. We all trust Joe [Douglas], Rex [Hogan] and Adam [Gase], all those guys, to find the right pieces. That's all I've really got to say on that. My job is to play football and play at a high level, and make sure everyone is on the same page."
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The next night, Darnold was blindsided by a text from Harrison, who reached out to tell his quarterback he had been released.
"At first, I really couldn’t believe it," Darnold told ESPN on Saturday. "For the last 2½ years, for lack of a better term, he’s been kind of like an older brother to me, showing me the ropes. It’s been fun, man, watching him come to work every day. He works harder than anyone I know. ... Jon is an incredible human being, a great leader and a great friend. He understands how much of a business football is. That's how we both have to look at it, but it does suck."
In the big picture, Harrison's departure isn't major news, but it shines a light on a dizzying trend: more change on the Jets' offense.
Harrison, who arrived in 2017 as a free agent, was the longest-tenured player on offense, a title he held for a month. (Previously, it belonged to guard Brian Winters, who was cut Aug. 3.) It leaves Darnold and tight end Chris Herndon -- both 2018 draft picks -- as the only holdovers from the previous coaching staff. Remarkable.
In Darnold's two seasons, the Jets have started 20 different skill-position players and 14 different linemen -- way too many. He's already on his fourth center, Connor McGovern, who followed Harrison, Ryan Kalil and Spencer Long.
The objective is clear -- the Jets are churning the roster in an attempt to build a formidable offense -- but the revolving door has to stop at some point. This is no way to groom a young, talented quarterback. Eventually, he must be given the opportunity to grow with a core group.
"For me, I know I can’t control any of that stuff, so I'm not going to sit here and worry about it," Darnold said. "Everyone knows that eventually we're going to need stability, but we have to find the right pieces. We all trust Joe [Douglas], Rex [Hogan] and Adam [Gase], all those guys, to find the right pieces. That's all I've really got to say on that. My job is to play football and play at a high level, and make sure everyone is on the same page."
For Sam Darnold's sake, Jets must create stability on offense
Another player is released and the team adjusts -- again. But at some point, the revolving door has to stop so New York's franchise QB can develop.
