For the first time in his career, quarterback Derek Carr had to search for a new NFL home last offseason. After nine years with the Raiders, the franchise's all-time passing leader was released, and eventually signed a four-year, $150 million deal with the New Orleans Saints.
Carr had suitors during his stint in free agency, including the Carolina Panthers. But during a recent appearance on "Pardon My Take," the veteran signal-caller revealed that he considered signing with the New York Jets.
"I could've [signed with New York]," Carr said, via NFL.com. "It just wasn't the right time for me. There was still like four or five teams I had to hear from.
"I remember sitting there with (Jets head coach Robert Saleh) and he's like, 'Look, man, we'd love to have you. It's up to you.'"
One has to wonder how close Carr came to joining the Jets. ESPN even reported early last March that Carr had a "slight lean" to New York. Saleh also offered a glowing review on the quarterback he was pursuing.
"Derek's got an elite makeup with regards to football IQ," Saleh said, via the Jets' official website. "He's got tremendous accuracy and arm strength. He can put the ball anywhere you want. He's underrated in terms of a scrambler, being able to move out of the pocket and all that stuff.
"He's been asked to do a lot in his career. He's more in line with what [Matt] Stafford's career has been in terms of if you can just get him to a place that can surround him with all the pieces and allow him to just quarterback, it'd be pretty cool. He's a solid young man."
The Jets of course ended up trading for Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who tore his Achilles in the season opener and missed the entire 2023 campaign. As for Carr, he went 9-8 as the starter in his first season with New Orleans, and while the Saints didn't make the playoffs, their new quarterback did get better as the season went on. In his final five games, Carr went 4-1, completed 74% of his passes and threw 14 touchdowns compared to just two interceptions.
