Getty Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr celebrates a victory in 2022.
By now, most New York Jets fans know the deal when it comes to Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. He will be available in 2023 — one way or another — but it will be up to him to decide where he wants to play with either a no-trade clause or a free agency status as the only two outcomes.
Either way, he’s an option for the QB-needy Jets and it appears the locker room is well aware of this fact — just like the fanbase is. Players aren’t necessarily supposed to recruit another athlete that’s technically still under contract, but you can make subtle gestures and that’s exactly what NYJ veteran team leader D.J. Reed Jr. did this week on January 31.
After Carr announced that he was named as a late Pro Bowl replacement this weekend, Reed reached out to the experienced signal-caller on Twitter, stating: “Yes sir, congrats brother💯😎👀.”
@derekcarrqb Yes sir, congrats brother💯😎👀
Now, if these two were ex-teammates, this wouldn’t raise any alarms but being that they’ve never played together before in their career and have no known ties to one another — it did. Before long, Jets fans caught wind of this congratulatory tweet, hyping it up over social media.
Jets Fans Hype D.J. Reed Interaction With Raiders’ Derek Carr
Several Gang Green supporters immediately quote tweeted Reed’s comment with the eye emoji [👀] when they saw this, and the most popular share (from J. Gray) had over 100 likes.
One fan replied to Gray, “I saw the same thing and said hmmmm.” Another noted that it “seems DJ would be willing to give up [number] 4 for Carr👀.”
“Him or [Aaron] Rodgers,” a third questioned. And a fourth fan voiced that we’re all just “showing love for Mr Carr. Pro Bowler.”
Finally, one Jets fan joked in a quote tweet: “Love to see @nyjets teammates support each other like this.”
Latest Rumors on Raiders QB Derek Carr
As we get closer and closer to the Super Bowl, it becomes more and more likely that Carr gets released rather than traded. Las Vegas has a “firm deadline of Feb. 15” when it comes to moving on from the long-time starter according to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport.
He explained on January 12: “At that point, Carr’s $40.4M in salary over the next two seasons becomes fully guaranteed. Any decision on a possible trade would come before then.” If the Raiders fail to find a trade partner by then that agrees to both their terms and Carr’s, they must cut the veteran signal-caller loose in order to save that pricey amount of money.
In a more recent update on January 29, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported that “my understanding as of right now is the Raiders have not granted Carr’s camp the ability to seek a trade.” He continued: “Even though there are the aforementioned teams out there with needs, dealing him before the Feb. 15 deadline—when his $32.9 million base for next year and $7.5 million of his 2024 money vests as fully guaranteed—won’t be easy. And he absolutely won’t be on the Raiders’ roster past that date, so there is the idea that teams that are interested in him should just wait for Las Vegas to cut him.”
Breer named the Jets, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders and Indianapolis Colts as the NFL franchises that he expects to pursue Carr.
Out of those six, the Jets and Bucs are probably the closest two to winning a Super Bowl — depending on the 2023 offseason. Earlier today on February 1, Tampa Bay QB1 Tom Brady announced that he was retiring “for good” this time.