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While most of the focus in the NFL world this week will be on the Scouting Combine, Derek Carr has meetings set up with at least three different teams as he tries to find a new home.
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Carr will have in-person meetings with the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers in Indianapolis.
This will mark the second time Carr has met with the Jets and Saints, with Rapoport noting he could speak with more teams.
The Saints have been the most aggressive team that has pursued Carr to this point. They had the framework of a trade worked out with the Las Vegas Raiders before Carr invoked his no-trade clause because he didn’t want to accept a pay cut, per Mark Anderson of the Associated Press.
Rapoport reported on Feb. 12 that Carr informed the Raiders he wouldn’t accept a trade to any team, prompting the team to release him before his $32.9 million base salary in 2023 became fully guaranteed.
The Jets could be the most active quarterback suitor this offseason. They have frequently been connected to Aaron Rodgers in a potential trade if the Green Bay Packers look to move the four-time NFL MVP.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported earlier this month the Jets have inquired about Rodgers’ availability.
The Panthers are in an interesting spot as they try to find an answer at quarterback. They own the No. 9 pick in the 2023 NFL draft, putting them in a position to trade up if they like one of the top signal-callers in this class.
There is a ceiling to Carr that might not make him as attractive to Carolina, but he also brings a level of stability at the most important position to a franchise that has had four different quarterbacks lead them in passing yards in each of the past four seasons.
David Carr, Derek’s brother and an NFL Network analyst, said last week that Derek’s free agency is going to be a “long process.”
Carr is arguably the top available quarterback in free agency and should have no shortage of suitors. He’s coming off a 2022 season with the Raiders in which he threw for 3,522 yards, 24 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.