Robert Saleh heaps praise on Sam Darnold but is noncommittal about Jets' plans at QB

With the Jets' future of quarterback Sam Darnold up in the air, new head coach Robert Saleh was the latest high-ranking person associated with the team to give a noncommittal answer on what the plan is heading into next season.

"There's a lot of things that we have to do moving forward," Saleh said Thursday when asked if Darnold would be the starting quarterback in 2021. "We're just getting the staff into the building. There's so many things that we have to do from an evaluation standpoint with regards to the entire roster, not just the quarterback.

"To give you that answer right now would not be fair. There's a lot of discussions that need to be had with (general manager Joe Douglas') staff and, obviously, himself. To give you that answer right now would be a bit premature."

Earlier in his introductory news conference, Saleh heaped praise on Darnold when asked to give his thoughts on the fourth-year quarterback's potential.

"With regards to Sam, you know what my experience would be? I could talk about the way we game-planned back earlier in the season, and studying Sam and trying to come up with a plan when we played the Jets," Saleh said. "What I can tell you about with regards to Sam is that he's got an unbelievable arm talent. There's a reason why he was the No. 3 pick in the draft.

"He's fearless in the pocket, he's got a natural throwing motion, he's mobile, he's extremely intelligent, and he's tough as nails. His reputation in the locker room is unquestioned. Just that in general. There's a reason why he was the third pick in the draft and you can see all those things on tape and around the building and in the way people speak about him."

After the regular season ended, Jets CEO Christopher Johnson spoke highly of Darnold, but deferred to Douglas when it came to the ultimate decision on Darnold's future.

"I hope he is a Jet going forward, but that decision is gonna be made by Joe Douglas and our new coach," Johnson said. "That's about as definitive as I can get on Sam. I hope he'll be here, but that'll be up to Joe and the coach."

Douglas himself was noncommittal when speaking about Darnold on Jan. 5, saying that the new head coach would have a say.

When it comes to the Jets and the quarterback position, they seemingly have three options.

They can stick with Darnold, draft a quarterback at No. 2, or attempt to trade for a quarterback -- with Houston Texans star Deshaun Watson the most tantalizing name on the market.

SNY's Ralph Vacchiano reported shortly after Saleh was hired that it could be good news for Darnold's future in New York. And if the Jets do decide to roll with Darnold, they could possibly trade the No. 2 pick to a quarterback-needy team for a haul, helping them finally put the necessary weapons around him.