Will the Jets trade Sam Darnold before the draft?

NFL free agency begin in just a few weeks, but don’t expect the Jets to rush to trade Sam Darnold before that time.
A lot of teams like to make moves involving quarterbacks around that time, whether they’re buying or selling, but the Jets are apparently doing their due diligence. They’re currently evaluating and watching film on all the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft, as they’re currently sitting in the No 2 spot, so they’ll essentially be able to pick their guy — aside from possible Trevor Lawrence, who, most likely, will be the first player off the board.
But the Jets could retain Darnold, as he’d be attractive from a financial perspective, playing out the final year of his rookie contract. And maybe the team won’t want to give up on him after just three years, especially given the ineptitude of the previous coaching staff.
It does make sense for them to receive some draft capital in exchange for Darnold, though, leading many to believe that’s the direction they’ll go in. But that’s why they may not be in a rush to move Darnold, until they have a grasp on this year’s rookie class.

What does that mean translate to? It’s likely gonna be a while. https://t.co/U4C7mRUuwW
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 22, 2021

It does make sense that the team would wait until closer to the draft to move the former No. 3 pick.