Sam Darnold has a fan watching him who knows a little bit about what it takes to win in New York.

“I know Sam a little bit,” Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells said recently. “I like him. I think he’s a tough guy. You know what I like about him? He’s not ready to be a star. He just wants to play.”

Parcells met Darnold before the 2018 draft. Darnold and Bills quarterback Josh Allen spent some time with Parcells in Florida. Parcells gave the young quarterbacks some advice and got to know them a little.

The 22-year-old Darnold has remarkable maturity for his age. The Jets have had some young quarterbacks they hoped would lead the franchise recently who had maturity issues. Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith had varying degrees of trouble getting teammates to follow them partly because of their play and partly because of how they carried themselves.

Darnold won’t have that issue. It is clear he is all about football and teammates appreciate that.

“That’s very important,” Parcells said. “Half of them come into the league and they’re ready to be a star but they’re not ready to pay the price to be a quarterback.”

Darnold looks primed to make a leap in Year 2, and Parcells will be watching.