Derek Carr will check off more visits without logging extensive travel mileage. The free agent quarterback is headed to the Combine to meet with teams this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes.
The 31-year-old passer has met with the Saints and Jets already, and while those teams look like the front-runners, others have checked in on where he stands. The Buccaneers, Commanders, Panthers and Titans have been connected to Carr, though none of these teams have been tied as closely to the nine-year veteran as the two he has visited.
A deal that averages more than $35M per year has come up in the Carr sweepstakes, but Rapoport adds lengthy talks about money have not entered the equation yet. Carr is prioritizing fit for now.
While money will undoubtedly be a key component in where he lands, the former MVP candidate will be unlikely to choose a team with poor competitive prospects. Mostly through the $25M-per-year extension he inked with the Raiders in 2017, Carr has already banked more than $130M in his career.
During Carr’s New York visit, Jets brass told the quarterback they were monitoring other QBs — including Aaron Rodgers — and let him know where he stood related to the Green Bay icon, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer. With the Jets informing Carr they want to see how the latest Packers-Rodgers offseason saga plays out, this points to the team confirming a previous report of Carr being its second choice.
The Commanders hold a substantial lead in cap space among potential Carr suitors, sitting on more than $35M after cutting Carson Wentz and Bobby McCain. A Daron Payne franchise tag will cut into this figure, and the Commanders are not believed to be seeking to dive deep into the QB salary pool this year. They certainly were last year, and it is interesting in a year in which Ron Rivera will be on the hot seat he could be willing to go with Sam Howell and/or a lower-priced veteran. The Bucs and Panthers are believed to be in the same boat, and the Saints, despite their restructure-happy ways, still have a long ways to go on this front.
If this lot of teams is unwilling to pay franchise-level money for Carr, it would stand to reason the Jets might be able to land the longtime Raider at a lower-than-expected cost. A clearer picture of where Carr’s market stands will emerge in Indianapolis.
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