The New York Jets finished Sam Darnold’s rookie season with a disappointing 4-12 record that resulted in the firing of Todd Bowles, but recent history suggests a result like that probably should have been expected. Teams tied to rookie quarterbacks have tended to struggle – but success has usually followed.
2018 was an absolute prime example of both ends of the spectrum. On the rookie side, success was limited. While Lamar Jackson took over for the Ravens and led them to the playoffs, each of the four rookies selected in the top 10 of the draft had a losing record as a starter.