Derek Carr won’t be taking his talents to the Meadowlands after all.
A report filed Sunday claimed Carr was “leaning toward” signing with the Jets, with whom he met with twice following his release from the Las Vegas Raiders. But Gang Green now will have to look elsewhere for a quarterback solution, as Carr is “closing in” on a free-agent deal with the New Orleans Saints, as first reported by NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. It will be a four-year deal, per NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
Carr first met with the Saints while he still was employed by the Raiders, as Las Vegas allowed the four-time Pro Bowl selection to seek out a trade in early February. New Orleans and Carr reportedly took a “significant step” in their courtship during that meeting and the Saints ultimately were able to fend off other suitors. In addition to the Jets, the Carolina Panthers were rumored to be interested in the nine-year NFL veteran.
The soon-to-be-32-year-old is coming off a 2022 season in which he was held under 4,000 passing yards for the first time since 2017, although he was benched by head coach Josh McDaniels for the Raiders’ final two games of the campaign. His numbers still trumped those of the Saints’ 2022 starter, Andy Dalton, who only threw for 2,871 yards with 18 touchdowns in 14 games.
Carr is set to join a talented New Orleans team as well as a wide-open division. With Tom Brady no longer quarterbacking the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it’s not tough to envision the Carr-led Saints winning the NFC South in 2023.
