National Football League

Former Jet Sam Darnold will benefit from fresh start with the Carolina Panthers

Updated Jul. 21, 2021 3:16 p.m. ET

Paige Dimakos

By Paige Dimakos
Special to FOX Sports

Sometimes, you just need a change of scenery.

That’s certainly what Sam Darnold is hoping to find in Carolina after the Panthers traded for the 23-year-old quarterback last week. Darnold’s NFL future is tied to his past — at least until the 2021 season begins and fans can see how the former USC star performs in Panther blue.

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The No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft is teetering on bust territory entering his fourth season as a pro. His 13-25 career record and 45-39 touchdown-to-interception ratio with the New York Jets leave a lot to be desired. Darnold’s home-road splits are also concerning.

His most notable moment in New York might just be the meme-worthy graphic ESPN released in September 2019, citing that the quarterback was out with mononucleosis. A close second might be his "I'm seeing ghosts" comment on Monday Night Football one month later.

However, there is hope — and it comes in the form of two diametrically opposed offensive minds.

Carolina offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s stock is sky-high right now. The future NFL head coach — it feels nearly certain he’ll be a head coach somewhere in 2022 — is coming off a laudable rookie NFL season.

Brady was able to keep Carolina’s offense respectable despite having little offseason program to implement his system, the team being in the midst of a rebuild, Teddy Bridgewater being his starting quarterback and his best offensive player (running back Christian McCaffrey) being sidelined for most of the season.

The season prior, Brady helped orchestrate a historic LSU offense that won a national championship and turned Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and others into stars. He’ll now get the opportunity to work with Darnold in an attempt to unlock the missing pieces to the QB's game.

On the other side of the deal is Jets coach Adam Gase, and the phrase "addition by subtraction" could apply here. There is now an extended history of offensive players playing their best football post-Gase: Ryan Tannehill, Robby Anderson, DeVante Parker, Mike Gesicki, Kenyan Drake, Damien Williams, etc.

Although Gase is no longer employed by the Jets, a change of scenery (and getting away from a fan base and media group that have mostly given up on him) was needed and could put Darnold in the right headspace to turn his career around.

There’s a long road ahead for Darnold, Brady and Panthers coach Matt Rhule to make this a symbiotic relationship in Charlotte. Carolina has reportedly picked up Darnold’s fifth-year option, essentially giving him two-to-three seasons (considering a potential franchise tag in 2023) to prove that he can be "the guy" the Panthers can build around.

Darnold’s turnover and accuracy issues and problems dealing with pressure must be solved if there’s any chance he can be more than a what-if journeyman quarterback. The Panthers hope to kickstart that turnaround under the tutelage of Brady.

Make no mistake: This is Darnold’s last chance to prove he can be a starting-caliber quarterback in the NFL.

Paige Dimakos, CEO of The Draft Network and host of the TDN Fantasy show, is a contributor to FOX Sports. Follow her @The_SportsPaige on Twitter and Instagram.