Derek Carr’s career almost took a very different turn last offseason. Following the Las Vegas Raiders releasing him, Carr had interest from a number of NFL teams. However, the New Orleans Saints always appear to be the front-runner.
However, Carr nearly went in a different direction. The quarterback admitted that he was strongly considering the New York Jets and had a chance to sign with them.
“I could’ve [signed with the Jets],” Carr said on the July 16 episode of “Pardon My Take.” “It just wasn’t the right time for me. There was still like four or five teams I had to hear from.”
The Jets ended up trading for Aaron Rodgers, which put them out of the running for Carr. It’s entirely possible that he could’ve chosen New York over the Saints had they not made that trade for Rodgers. The Jets may have been better off as Rodgers missed 16 games last season with a torn Achilles injury.
Carr has been inconsistent in his career but he would’ve been an upgrade over Zach Wilson and Trevor Siemian. The team went 7-10 with bad quarterback play. If they could’ve at least gotten average quarterback play from Carr, they may have been a playoff team last season.
Derek Carr was ready to sign with the Jets because of Robert Saleh
Derek Carr Wasn’t Concerned About Money
Carr had some leverage in free agency last year. He was coming off a bad season with the Raiders but above-average starting quarterbacks are hard to come by. He ended up signing a contract with the Saints that pays him $37.5 million a season, which has him tied as the 15th highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.
Carr isn’t concerned about money and he thought that would make him more appealing to the Jets than Rodgers.
“The thing which was different in that situation was like Aaron is a nine billion-time MVP, right? But you still have to trade for him, whereas I’m free, and you can still keep those picks,” Carr said. “I was not asking for as much money as whatever they say your market is. I was like, ‘I don’t want to do that, because wherever I go, man, I just want to win. So use the money. I don’t care.’”
Rodgers adjusted his contract for the Jets so his annual salary is actually exactly the same as Carr’s.
Derek Carr a Big Fan of Robert Saleh
A major reason why Carr was considering the Jets was due to head coach Robert Saleh. He was an assistant for the Houston Texans when David Carr was there so Derek Carr was very familiar with the coach.
Even though Carr is a Saint, he still has a lot of respect for Saleh.
“I am probably like [Saleh’s] biggest fan,” Carr said. “Like I absolutely 10 out of 10 would run through a wall for him even if he’s not my coach. If he was like ‘I need you to do this,’ yes, sir, I would do it. That whole situation, that was the hardest thing.”
Saleh is certainly on the hot seat entering 2024. He hasn’t made the playoffs or had a winning record in three seasons as a head coach.
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Derek Carr Names Team He Almost Signed With Before Saints