Jets' Todd Bowles not getting involved in Sam Darnold holdout, but should he?

Three days of Jets training camp down, and still no Sam Darnold.

The rookie quarterback's contract holdout continues, as his agent, Jimmy Sexton, battles with the Jets over offset language in the deal and, more notably, the circumstances under which the Jets could void Darnold's guaranteed pay. (His entire $30 million deal is fully guaranteed.)

Darnold is obviously losing valuable practice reps here, at least as it pertains to his ability to perhaps win the Jets' Week 1 starting job.

Nobody is saying saying this training camp absence -- however long it lasts -- will impact his entire career. But the Jets have just seven practices left before their first preseason game, so time is running out for Darnold to make an impression leading up to that game.

Darnold is competing with Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater for the starting job. McCown is the incumbent starter, and could very well start in Week 1.

Jets coach Todd Bowles said he doesn't get involved in the Darnold negotiations. He leaves that to the Jets' front office.

"I'll get an update when he runs out on the field," Bowles said Sunday, after the Jets' third training camp practice. "I'm a coach. I don't handle the money or anything like that, or the business side of it. I understand it all and I am aware of it all, but I coach the guys that are out here, and that's all I am worried about."

Well, he should be worried about whether the Jets' prized rookie quarterback will have a chance to compete for the Week 1 starting job, and whether Darnold is the Jets' best option to win games in 2018. And Bowles surely is concerned about this, even if he isn't vocalizing it. (And he was clearly exaggerating with that "when he runs out on the field" line.)

At what point should Bowles step in and tell the Jets' front office to just get the deal done?

Jets' top camp position battles

That's a tough question, and a slippery slope, because of the Jets' clear division of power, which was established in 2015 when they hired Bowles and general manager Mike Maccagnan jointly. Maccagnan controls the business side, and the 53-man roster composition -- who gets cut, etc. Bowles gets to decide who plays -- the depth chart, etc.

Of course, Bowles and Maccagnan (and the front office as a whole) all consult, especially on important matters like this. But Bowles really doesn't possess the power -- at least not under the most literal interpretation of his job duties -- to have a lot of sway here, even if he would obviously prefer to have all his players on the field for all training camp practices.

Darryl Slater may be reached at dslater@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DarrylSlater. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.

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