Getty New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson throwing a pass during an NFL game.
The New York Jets could turn heads around the NFL this offseason.
One way they could do that is by exploring the trade market at the quarterback position. In a hypothetical trade article for Bleacher Report, Alex Ballentine proposed a blockbuster idea between Gang Green and the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Jets would land their franchise quarterback in Derek Carr and the Raiders would get a pair of future draft choices (a 2023 second-rounder and a 2024 second-rounder).
Jets Add a Proven QB to Compete With Zach Wilson
Head coach Robert Saleh announced this week that Zach Wilson will be a healthy scratch for the rest of the season “barring injury.”
It is a massive fall from grace for a player selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.
He is the only quarterback under contract for next season so it isn’t a matter of if but rather who the team will add this offseason. According to a report from Jay Glazer of NFL on Fox over the weekend, the Jets plan on moving on from Wilson in 2023.
Saleh shot down that report during his media availability this week but at the very least it looks like the Jets will be very aggressive in pursuing other options next season.
On my video podcast, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic stated that the Jets are a quarterback away from “being taken seriously” as a contender in the AFC.
If that’s true then this is a trade proposal that makes sense. While the price (two second-rounders) is steep, at least the team would in theory be able to hold onto their first-round draft choices.
Derek Carr Would Bring Production and Star Power to Jets
Carr is 31 years of age and will be 32 by the start of the 2023 season.
The former three-time Pro Bowler has three years left on his $121 million contract and with that, he isn’t scheduled to be a free agent until the 2026 offseason.
The base salary during that time span is $33 million (2023), $42 million (2024), and $41.2 million (2025).
If Carr joined the Jets he would immediately become the most decorated quarterback in franchise history:
- 35,222 passing yards
- 217 passing touchdowns
- 64.6 career completion percentage
For context, he would be No. 1 all-time in passing yards (by over 8,000 yards), in passing touchdowns (by 47), and his completion percentage would place third-best all-time.
The former Fresno State product doesn’t get the respect he deserves around the league for what he has accomplished.
Also, it is worth noting that he was able to accomplish all of those statistical achievements on some bad Raiders teams. As a starting quarterback Carr is 63-79 since entering the league in 2014.
If you place him on this current Jets team there is a thought that he could elevate the talent on this offense and vice-versa they could bring out a better version of himself that we haven’t seen in the NFL before.
This season the Jets found out that they’re a lot further along than most people gave them credit for. Winning windows in the NFL don’t last forever so it is of the utmost importance that the Jets do everything in their power to bring in a capable quarterback to help take them to the next level.