In a quieter moment in a mostly tense game, Fox broadcasters Adam Amin and Mark Sanchez discussed the day’s quarterbacks – Sam Darnold for the Vikings and Geno Smith for the Seahawks.

It wasn’t lost on the Fox crew that there was a strange synergy between Darnold, Smith and Sanchez: They were all once high draft picks of the New York Jets and were anointed as franchise saviors. And they all, to varying degrees, fell short of those hopes and dreams, only to emerge (again, to varying degrees) for a second chance with a new team.

They surprised Sanchez by including him in a “Spiderman” meme-style graphic with images of Sanchez, Darnold and Smith pointing at each other.

Sanchez, the No. 5 pick in the 2009 draft, started 15 games as a Jets rookie. The team went 8-7, but Sanchez threw 12 touchdown passes with 20 interceptions. The next year, the Jets made it to the AFC title game, with Sanchez serving as game manager but little else.

After two more mediocre seasons, the Jets moved on in 2013 and selected Smith in the second round – making him start all 16 games as a rookie.

Smith lasted just two unsuccessful seasons as a starter, leaving the Jets treading water until 2018, when they took Darnold No. 3 overall. Darnold started 13 games as a rookie and 38 overall for the Jets before he too was waived.

All three quarterbacks enjoyed their best seasons in the NFL after leaving the Jets and had a chance to mature. Sanchez posted a career-best overall QBR of 55.8 in eight starts with the Eagles in 2014. Smith resurrected his career in Seattle, throwing 30 touchdown passes and making the first of two consecutive Pro Bowl trips in 2022. And of course, Darnold has experienced a revival this season with the Vikings.

It’s tempting to view this as simply a matter of dysfunction on the Jets, and that’s certainly not a well-run organization. But as Patrick Reusse and I discussed on the Daily Delivery podcast on Monday, the examples of all three quarterbacks – particularly Smith and Darnold – give credence to the idea that some quarterbacks take longer to develop and that they are coming off a tough start Careers should not be discarded.