With the window for franchise tags opening today, the offseason has hit an important milestone in the build-up to free agency. One prominent name is already on the market, of course, and has a central role to play in this offseason’s quarterback market.
Derek Carr met with the Jets over the weekend, marking his second official visit to a potential new team and first as a free agent. Before his release from the Raiders, he visited the Saints, the only team which came to an agreement with Vegas on the matter of trade compensation. His New York sit-down produced positive results and lends itself to further connections between the two.
ESPN’s Jeff Darlington noted during a "Get Up" appearance that Carr’s visit with the Jets was “very positive." Adding further to that sentiment, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network tweets that the summit led to “rave reviews” on both sides, and that interest exists between both team and player concerning a deal materializing at some point. There remains plenty to be determined before Carr lands in his new NFL home, though.
Confirming what many had expected upon his release, Carr’s brother David said on "NFL Total Access" that the four-time Pro Bowler will be patient and thorough in his free agent visits.
“It’s gonna be a long process,” the elder Carr said, via NFL.com’s Grant Gordon. “He wants to do his due diligence and see as many places as he can to get a feel for what the best place for him will be.”
Carr has the advantage of being able to sign at any time, as opposed to other pending free agents only being eligible to do after the new league year begins in March. He will likely have plenty of suitors, considering the interest reportedly shown by not only the Saints and Jets, but also the Commanders, Titans and Panthers once it became clear that Carr’s tenure with the Raiders was coming to an end. As arguably the top quarterback soon to be on the move – depending on what the future holds for top Jets target Aaron Rodgers – Carr would be well-suited to weigh all his options before signing anywhere.
How his time in the Silver and Black came to an end (which included him leaving the team upon being benched for the final two weeks of the season) has led some to wonder if Carr could be a poor fit from a personality standpoint. As Connor Hughes of SNY notes, though, the 31-year-old “completely erased” any doubts on that front.
With more likely to be known concerning Rodgers’ intentions soon, it may take several weeks before Carr arrives at a decision. Nevertheless, signs continue to point to the Big Apple as a logical landing spot for him.
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