Luring Ryan Kalil out of retirement wasn’t an easy task for Joe Douglas and company.

It took seven weeks for the two sides to come to a contractual agreement. As a University of Southern California guy himself, Kalil had a hard time saying no to the Jets’ main selling point —Sam Darnold.

Even though Kalil had an itch to return to the NFL, he was waiting for the right opportunity to present itself. Kalil is a big fan of Darnold and it just so happens that center was a position of need for New York.

“He’s a big reason for me being here,” Kalil told reporters over the weekend. “I’ve been a fan of Sam’s since watching him at [USC] and Sam and I know each other a little bit. We’ve talked in passing in California, here. I just got excited at the opportunity to come and work with him.”

With Douglas playing hardball to get Kalil in green and white, he thought back to what the now-retired Josh McCown did for Darnold and how that could likely be Kalil in 2019.

“I think it’s going to be very beneficial for Sam,” Douglas said. “We’re a young team and when you have veterans that have proven themselves, proven to be great players in the league, young guys – they watch them every day.”

Kalil has kept a close eye on Darnold as a former USC Trojan himself. The opportunity to work with a talented young quarterback was enough for Kalil to put his retirement on hold.

For years, the organization hasn’t had a main attraction to sell to players like Darnold. The quarterback position has been an endless game of musical chairs between those with veteran experience and those with “potential.”

Darnold showed real potential first-hand through last season, though. After he returned from a sprained right foot, he was statistically one of the best players at his position. Training camp has proved this to be true thus far. Darnold has turned over the ball very little and looks like a more seasoned product under Adam Gase’s direction.

While the Jets work on getting Kalil up to speed, they appear to have found a perfect mentor for Darnold with McCown no longer within earshot.