Joe Namath could see Trevor Lawrence force trade if picked by Jets

[jgb]

Joe Namath could see Trevor Lawrence force trade if picked by Jets

 

New York Jets legend Joe Namath, whose former team is the front-runner for the top choice in the 2021 NFL draft, wouldn't be surprised if presumptive No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence tried to leverage a trade -- the way Eli Manning did in 2004.

"Anything could happen in this world, damn near anything -- except for the Jets maybe making the playoffs this year," Namath said Friday in a phone interview with ESPN. "It's happened before, so why would it shock anybody?"

Namath noted that he doesn't know the Clemson quarterback personally; he was asked to give his opinion on Lawrence as a quarterback prospect. Unsolicited, he mentioned the Manning scenario.

"Thinking back to the Manning family and Eli Manning and San Diego, there are some people that may not want to go [to a certain team] for whatever reason," Namath said.

"But If Trevor Lawrence is available, I think the upside is tremendous there. Also, I think the upside with Sam [Darnold] is positive, but you're not going to keep both of them. You're not going to take a quarterback No. 1 without getting a couple of high draft choices ... for Sam. It depends on what the powers that be want to do."

The Jets (0-8), the NFL's only winless team, could be faced with that decision. In 2004, Manning made it clear he didn't want to play for the then San Diego Chargers, who drafted him first overall and immediately traded him to the New York Giants.

Namath declined to give his opinion on what the Jets should do, saying he's not close enough to the situation, but he raved about Lawrence, calling him "sensational."

"He's a winner. He's determined. His size is terrific. His athleticism is terrific. His passing ability is terrific." After a brief pause, Namath said with a laugh, "And that's about it."

Namath has been supportive of Darnold throughout the young quarterback's up-and-down tenure with the Jets, but admitted he has been somewhat disappointed. "Sometimes, sometimes," he said. "The last couple of seasons, there were a couple of things I was surprised at. Having made similar mistakes myself, you learn from your mistakes.

"He shows certainly better athleticism than a lot of people give him credit for, whenever he gets an attitude that he has to go do something and take it out of the pocket. But guys that take it out of the pocket, they rarely last long.

"His passing can improve some with the accuracy, but that accuracy can improve with a split-second or two more time to throw."

The Jets organization has backed Darnold, who has a banged-up right shoulder but is attempting to play Monday night against the New England Patriots (2-5). On Tuesday, general manager Joe Douglas said Darnold is "our quarterback for the future."

Namath can relate to Lawrence's situation. In 1965, he was drafted by the AFL and NFL, which resulted in a bidding war. In a sense, he had a choice in the matter.

"These guys in the modern era, they have agents to go through that process," he said. "My coach at Alabama [Bear Bryant] told me get to know the people you're going to work for and make your decision on that.

"That's what happened with Weeb Ewbank. He won a championship and he coached [Johnny] Unitas. ... I knew the AFL was good football. If I had known more about New York City, I would've signed faster."

 

https://www.espn.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/84606/blast-from-past-96-jets-1-15-say-current-team-shouldnt-be-this-bad (scroll down)

[HawkeyeJet]

Namath doesn't ever want a Jet QB to be better than him.

[jgb]

1 minute ago, HawkeyeJet said:

Namath doesn't ever want a Jet QB to be better than him.

Joe is one of the most passionate and vocal ex-players about their former teams.

[The Gooch]

He could be right!

[HawkeyeJet]

4 minutes ago, jgb said:

Joe is one of the most passionate and vocal ex-players about their former teams.

I find him off putting for the most part.  

[jgb]

1 minute ago, HawkeyeJet said:

I find him off putting for the most part.  

Buddy, I am not drunk enough to get dragged into this sewer right now.

[SAR I]

Joe:

Keep it up and Adam Gase is gonna do to you what he did to Mehta, Lucas, and Beningo. Only takes 10 minutes and a putty knife to get you out of the stadium permanently.   

Tread lightly. 

SAR I

[jetstream23]

Boy, this sure has become the week for trusting in the judgement of senile old guys named Joe.  

I get that we want to move on from what we have.  That it's been several years of uneven results, but let's be careful about whose opinions we value when it comes to our future direction.

[joewilly12]

3 minutes ago, jetstream23 said:

Boy, this sure has become the week for trusting in the judgement of senile old guys named Joe.  

I get that we want to move on from what we have.  That it's been several years of uneven results, but let's be careful about whose opinions we value when it comes to our future direction.

Joe Namath is far from senile.

 

[Jet2020]

Like an ex GF, Jets be like: 

[Larz]

Yes it is within the realm of possibility 

[joewilly12]

19 minutes ago, jgb said:

Buddy, I am not drunk enough to get dragged into this sewer right now.

More like a cesspool. 

 

 

 

[jgb]

10 minutes ago, joewilly12 said:

More like a cesspool. 

 

 

 

Millennials know nothing.

[joewilly12]

2 minutes ago, jgb said:

Millennials know nothing.

Entitled to flush. 

[rangerous]

The last sentence says it all. If Lawrence thinks he’s going to be great he should sign with the jets.  He’ll get about 3 seasons to produce before the fans turn on him but if he does produce they’ll names couple of rest stops on the NJTPKafter him.

[jgb]

10 minutes ago, rangerous said:

The last sentence says it all. If Lawrence thinks he’s going to be great he should sign with the jets.  He’ll get about 3 seasons to produce before the fans turn on him but if he does produce they’ll names couple of rest stops on the NJTPKafter him.

And he'll fade into nothing if he succeeds somewhere else? Mahomes just signed a $500m contract and is on every commercial on Sundays.

[rangerous]

2 minutes ago, jgb said:

And he'll fade into nothing if he succeeds somewhere else? Mahomes just signed a $500m contract and is on every commercial on Sundays.

It’s not the same. There’s something different about succeeding in ny.

[jgb]

3 minutes ago, rangerous said:

It’s not the same. There’s something different about succeeding in ny.

Even if that is true (it's not, at least not anymore), better to be a HOFer anywhere than a bust in NYC.

[Matt39]

57 minutes ago, HawkeyeJet said:

I find him off putting for the most part.  

Namath is literally the only redeeming thing about this franchise

[jgb]

1 minute ago, Matt39 said:

Namath is literally the only redeeming thing about this franchise

It's funny how many Jets fans say "Mahomes would've busted here anyway" but also claim Trevor should be jumping out of his jeans to "tackle this challenge."

Mahomes just signed a $500M contract, FYI.

[T0mShane]

Sounds like he was trying to find a way to talk up Lawrence without disrespecting Darnold, as in “Lawrence can be great wherever he plays.” 

[Matt39]

11 minutes ago, jgb said:

It's funny how many Jets fans say "Mahomes would've busted here anyway" but also claim Trevor should be jumping out of his jeans to "tackle this challenge."

Mahomes just signed a $500M contract, FYI.

The Jets not caring about winning isn’t a secret. If I had leverage and cared about winning I wouldn’t go to the Jets either.

[Greensleeves]

This is a total bs misleading header on ESPN AND by OP. He said he would be great in NYC - the pathetic agenda by people that don’t want Trevor here. Did anyone actually read the article? It’s clearly not the takeaway. 

[jgb]

8 minutes ago, Matt39 said:

The Jets not caring about winning isn’t a secret. If I had leverage and cared about winning I wouldn’t go to the Jets either.

A cheap loser is more profitable than an expensive winner in the NFL.

[Jet_Engine1]

1 hour ago, HawkeyeJet said:

I find him off putting for the most part.  

I met him. One of the coolest  friendliest people I have ever met....only time I was ever "starstruck". Gave me a hug, ffs, and was truly just a cool guy, even at 75. 

 

Gimme a break. 

Yes, I look deranged. I was literally so nervous about meeting Joe I was a bit off.....lol

[Greensleeves]

Total BS by Cimini. Bated Namath. Such a Dick, Cimini.

[HawkeyeJet]

32 minutes ago, Matt39 said:

Namath is literally the only redeeming thing about this franchise

That's fine.  I get why lots of people like him.  I don't find him as likeable as some.  

[HawkeyeJet]

9 minutes ago, Jet_Engine1 said:

I met him. One of the coolest  friendliest people I have ever met....only time I was ever "starstruck". Gave me a hug, ffs, and was truly just a cool guy, even at 75. 

 

Gimme a break. 

Yes, I look deranged. I was literally so nervous about meeting Joe I was a bit off.....lol

That's awesome. I've never met him.  I can only go by what I see of him in the media.  What I see in the media isn't someone I'm blown away by with awesomeness.  1968 Joe Namath?  Sure he seemed cool.  

[joewilly12]

40 minutes ago, Jet_Engine1 said:

I met him. One of the coolest  friendliest people I have ever met....only time I was ever "starstruck". Gave me a hug, ffs, and was truly just a cool guy, even at 75. 

 

Gimme a break. 

Yes, I look deranged. I was literally so nervous about meeting Joe I was a bit off.....lol

Ive met him also he's a genuine great person as well as a former NY Jets Super Bowl winning QB. 

[Jetsbb]

To make it even better The rich Eisen show talked about it and then made sure to tag Trevor Lawrence on twitter just in case he wasn't aware. If you think Trevor isn't being persuaded to do this your out of your mind.

[MARTIN]

Zzzz 

[Ken Schroy]

2 hours ago, The Gooch said:

He could be right!

Sure, and he could be wrong too.

[jgb]

22 minutes ago, Ken Schroy said:

Sure, and he could be wrong too.

So then we should just throw his opinion away

[heymangold]

This is the problem with Jets fans.  They don’t want nice things.  Eisen, Greenberg, Benigno and now Namath.  Just gluttons for punishment.  Why bring this sh!t up?  Even if Trevor Lawrence has never thought about forcing a trade or not entering the draft - now he does.0

[jgb]

14 minutes ago, heymangold said:

This is the problem with Jets fans.  They don’t want nice things.  Eisen, Greenberg, Benigno and now Namath.  Just gluttons for punishment.  Why bring this sh!t up?  Even if Trevor Lawrence has never thought about forcing a trade or not entering the draft - now he does.0