Former Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr doesn’t have a new home yet, but one of his suitors may be creating distance from the pack.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, while no deal is imminent, Carr has a “slight lean” toward choosing the New York Jets as his next team.
Fowler says Carr hasn’t eliminated the Carolina Panthers or New Orleans Saints as potential destinations and that two others teams have reached out recently. But the Jets “made an impression” on the four-time Pro Bowler.
Like the Jets, the Panthers are awaiting word on Aaron Rodgers. Though, as Fowler points out, Carolina also owns the No. 9 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, which they could use to find their next quarterback.
Meanwhile, the Saints are said to be “motivated” to sign Carr, but former San Francisco 49ers signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo remains a backup option, per Fowler.
While the Jets seem to be the frontrunner for Carr’s service, this could all be posturing from his side. Unless the Jets had completely sold Carr on joining the franchise, he’d be foolish to agree to terms before the shoe drops with Rodgers.
When Rodgers finally decides on his future, it could very well impact Carr. According to the latest reports, Rodgers has narrowed his options to two, returning to the Green Bay Packers or joining the Jets.
Say Rodgers chooses the Jets, and they still covet Carr? New York would have to make a decision, albeit one a handful of other teams in the NFL would envy.
The Jets are reportedly willing to “wait out” Rodgers, but how long they’ll hold out is unclear, and they run the risk of coming away with nothing if another team scoops up Carr and Rodgers decides to stay put with the Packers or retire.