Former Las Vegas Raiders Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Carr is the talk of the NFL watercooler a short while after being granted his release by the organization.
Carr enters free agency weeks before others, leading to widespread speculation about where the four-time Pro Bowler will land.
Prior to his release, Carr visited with the New Orleans Saints for a couple days. He then spent this past weekend visiting with the New York Jets.
According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, said meet-and-greet with the Jets’ brass went extraordinarily well. In fact, part of the recruiting pitch was that power brokers within the organization believe Carr can be a first-ballot Hall of Famer if he should decide on signing with the Jets.
“We believe if you come to New York and win, you could be a first ballot Hall of Famer,” Jets pitch to Derek Carr.
We’re not even sure where to start with this one. Carr, 31, was benched by the Raiders late last season after struggling in new head coach Josh McDaniels’ system. Vegas then released the former second-round pick after he utilized his no-trade clause as a way to hit the open market. He threw 14 interceptions in 15 starts while posting his second-worst quarterback rating of the veteran’s career.
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Derek Carr will be a prime example of supply and demand in free agency
Outside of the outlandish belief that a mid-tier starting quarterback in today’s NFL can turn into a first ballot Hall of Famer, the sweepstakes for Carr is indicative of a watered-down quarterback market.
It’s safe to assume that the likes of Lamar Jackson, Geno Smith and Daniel Jones won’t hit NFL free agency. As far as those three goes, recent reports indicate that Jones’ market could exceed $40 million annually. Prior to breaking out to an extent this past season, Jones didn’t look like a starter-caliber quarterback over the course of his first three years with the New York Giants.
- Daniel Jones stats (2019-21): 62.8% completion, 8,398 passing yards, 45 TD, 29 INT, 84.3 QB rating
Jones might be six years younger than Carr, but his market value is going to create an obvious trickle-down effect. After all, Carr himself has not played at a high level over the past two seasons.
- Derek Carr stats (2021-22): 65% completion, 8,326 yards, 47 TD, 28 INT, 90.5 QB rating
That’s where teams are right now. In all likelihood, quarterbacks of this ilk are going to get paid big time once NFL free agency opens. Just don’t expect Carr to morph into a Hall of Fame quarterback should he land in Jersey.
It also must be noted that the Jets are seemingly prioritizing a real future first ballot Hall of Famer in Aaron Rodgers. Why would the team do that if it had full confidence in Carr? Just some food for thought.