Mitchell Trubisky meet Sam Darnold. Sam Darnold meet Mitchell Trubisky. The next wave of young gun NFL quarterbacks has been in full swing over the past two years. Given their athletic ability and prowess, Trubisky and Darnold could soon see themselves as the faces of their respective 2017 and 2018 draft classes. All the while dominating in separate conferences in the NFC and AFC.

Oh, am I getting ahead of myself? Unquestionably.

But there’s no denying where the Bears’ Trubisky and Jets’ new blood in Darnold can end up in football’s hierarchy if brought along properly. It’s unfortunate, from that perspective, that they’ll only be guaranteed one matchup every four years in inter-conference play. The fireworks these two are capable of make the price of admission well worth more than face value.

Thankfully, 2018 will offer a tiny glimpse of what this “rivalry” could’ve been between Trubisky and Darnold. As the Bears gear up for the first edition of the Matt Nagy era, the Jets will attempt to figure out how to best develop Darnold as a rookie. These two teams’ quarterback and coach processes are very likely to intersect with the Bears at their midseason defining point by the time they play the Jets in Week 8. Meanwhile, Darnold is either starting his first game by the end of October, or is only a few starts into his career by then.

One of the Bears’ orange jersey games dripping with a weird aura of confusion as identities are carved out.

To discuss how far along Darnold is with the Jets and examine New York’s 2018 off-season in advance of this Bears’ matchup, I spoke with managing editor of SB Nation’s Gang Green Nation, MacGregor Wells, on the latest WCG Radio. We came to an understanding that the Jets’ receivers aren’t that bad and even picked the best Pixar movies, among other things.

BlogTalk Radio

On this episode of WCG Radio

MacGregor Wells of SB Nation’s Gang Green Nation joins the show to talk Darnold, Jamal Adams, and a battle of young quarterbacks with the Bears.

• Coming off a last place finish, the Jets are in prime position to develop a contender the right way with Sam Darnold. Determining New York’s trajectory
• Todd Bowles’ contract extension: Pros and cons
• Teddy Bridgewater hype duing minicamp: Setting expectations
• Darnold the future: are the Jets equipped to build around him?
• Do the Jets have the worst receiving corps in the NFL?
• Free agency review (A rebound for Terrelle Pryor)
• Draft review: was the Darnold trade worth it?
• Bears-Jets preview: finding room to operate for Trubisky
• Making our case for the best Pixar movie (hard to top Toy Story)

Robert Zeglinski is the Bears beat writer for The Rock River Times, an editor for Windy City Gridiron and Inside The Pylon, and is a contributor to Pro Football Weekly and The Athletic Chicago. You can follow him on Twitter @RobertZeglinski.