Talking Derek Carr

Edition #310

Good morning! ☀️

We are just 55 days away from March 15th, which means we’re 55 days away from the free agency frenzy.

The Jets won’t be as active as they have been over the last few years with considerably less cap space, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be active.

But could they be active ahead of that date if a certain QB on a certain team in Sin City becomes available? Today we’re talking all things Derek Carr.

👨‍💻 In Monday’s TJW I mentioned that interviews for Darrell Bevell and Nathaniel Hackett were coming down the line. Monday afternoon we had confirmation for Bevell, and Wednesday afternoon we had the same for Hackett. Slight twist, Bevell actually declined the interview request and will stay in Miami. He also declined the interview request from Washington as well.

🦅 Eagles QB coach Brian Johnson has also met with the Jets about their vacant OC position. Johnson was the OC for the Florida Gators in 2020 as they put up some outstanding numbers, and his work with Hurts has been applauded. However, he doesn't have any playcalling experience at the NFL level.

💥 Former Jets player Aaron Glenn is getting a head coaching interview with the Arizona Cardinals. Glenn started his playing career with the Jets as the 14th overall selection in the 1994 draft.

💰 The Seattle Seahawks signed kicker Jason Meyers to a 4-year $21 million extension. Meyers was with the Jets back in 2018, but for whatever reason, the Jets decided to not re-sign him, even after he hit 91%+ of field goals.

📤 The Patriots have requested permission to speak with Vikings WRs coach Keenan McCardell for their OC position. Bill O’Brien is also being tipped for that position, the current Alabama OC has plenty of NFL experience, and was with the Patriots as their OC back in 2011.

📈 Nick Caley also interviewed for the Patriot’s OC position yesterday after interviewing for the Jet’s OC position on Tuesday. According to one person I spoke to, the Jets came away “extremely impressed” with Caley.

🏈 The Senior Bowl has named Chicago Bears OC Luke Getsy the head coach of the American team and Raiders DC Patrick Graham the head coach of the National team.

Yesterday I spent some time talking about Lamar Jackson. Among the Jets community there is a lot of excitement about that possibility. In fact, yesterday’s newsletter was the most-read newsletter ever on TJW, so maybe I should write about Lamar more!

Today I’m turning my attention to Derek Carr, a much more realistic target in my mind.

When you talk about Derek Carr on social media you inevitably get a mixed response. Many don’t consider him good enough, many can’t detach the QB from the franchise he plays for, and considering the Raiders have been only marginally better than the Jets at reaching the post-season over the last decade, I can kind of understand that.

One thing I’ve heard countless times is that Derek Carr doesn’t want to play in New York. I’ve yet to see a single shred of evidence for that statement. It’s been loosely attached to a comment that his brother David made about Derek not wanting to play for an unstable franchise.

The Jets are not an unstable franchise. The coach is going into his third year, the GM has been here even longer and the owner has come out and said there is no playoff mandate next season. We’re not a very successful franchise, but that doesn’t automatically put us in the unstable equation.

How good is Derek Carr? How would he elevate the Franchise? Would we need to trade for him? How much would his contract cost? Is the criticism of him fair or completely biased? Finally, why am I fully on board with the Jets pursuing Derek? Those are the questions we’re going to try and answer today. Ready? Let’s go.