Jets' Robert Saleh compares Derek Carr to Super Bowl champion QB

Head coach Robert Saleh has suggested Derek Carr can lead the New York Jets to a Super Bowl title just like Matthew Stafford did with the Los Angeles Rams. 

"He’s been asked to do a lot in his career," Saleh said about Carr during a Zoom call with reporters on Thursday, per Brian Costello of the New York Post. "I think he’s more in line with what Stafford’s career has been. If you can just get him to a place that can surround him with all the pieces to just allow him to play quarterback 10-15 times a game, it would be pretty cool. He’s a solid young man." 

The Jets reportedly had "a fantastic visit" with Carr in late February, and Costello mentioned in a different piece that team officials, including owner Woody Johnson, sat down with the free-agent signal-caller at the NFL combine on Wednesday. Saleh didn't attend that meeting because he's been battling an illness. 

Stafford routinely put up impressive numbers during his Detroit Lions tenure but went 0-3 in playoff games until he and the Rams completed a postseason journey that ended with a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI roughly 13 months ago. 

Carr, meanwhile, earned four Pro Bowl nods as the Las Vegas Raiders' starter but failed to win a single playoff game during his time with the organization. 

Saleh insisted he's trying to remain patient as the Jets seemingly wait to learn what Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers will decide for 2023 following his four-day "darkness retreat." According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, Rodgers recently indicated during a podcast appearance he will "make a decision sooner rather than later." 

"As a coach, you always want it done yesterday. But we appreciate everyone’s process," Saleh remarked. "We appreciate how everybody is going about it. We appreciate the time everyone needs. We’re being deliberate in our process and making sure we’re taking care of our stuff but also being mindful and respectful of other people." 

Carr is eligible to sign with any team at any time. Saleh and the Jets may want to lock the 31-year-old down before the combine ends unless they find out, for sure, that Rodgers will agree on a trade to New York.