Sam Darnold's sophomore season in the NFL has been an interesting one for sure.
While his numbers show a slight improvement compared to his rookie season, with his completion percentage (61.7), yards per attempt (7.0), and yards per game (235.4) all up from his first season, Darnold's 2019 season will likely always be remembered for his early-season battle with mononucleosis.
Just a couple of days after the Jets' Week 1 loss to Buffalo, Darnold was diagnosed with mono, causing him to miss the Jets' next three games, a stretch in which the team went 0-3, virtually derailing the early-season playoff contention hopes.
This week, Darnold sat down with SNY's Jeané Coakley, and he recalled the initial feeling of finding out he had mono.
"I actually did (think they were joking)," Darnold said. "(Adam) Gase and Dowell (Loggains) and one of the doctors, they came to my apartment, because I just thought I had strep for a couple of days there after the Buffalo game. And then, I think it was that Tuesday, they came to my apartment late in the evening and Gase told me and I thought he was just joking around, and he wasn't.
"It was mono and the toughest part was calling my parents afterwards and obviously the few weeks to follow not being in the building and not being able to spend time with the guys and get better that way. That sucked for sure."