Carr Visiting Jets; What Does That Mean for Potential Rodgers Trade?
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Whether he’s their Plan A or Plan B, free-agent quarterback Derek Carr will be visiting the New York Jets, according to multiple reports.
Released by the Las Vegas Raiders this week, Carr is the big fish in the veteran quarterback pond – unless and until Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers jumps in the water. With Carr available while Rodgers mulls his future in a dark fortress of solitude, might the quarterback-hungry Jets desire the bird in the hand rather than the one waiting in the bush?
After all, they’ll be up a creek if Carr signs with, say, the New Orleans Saints and either Rodgers retires or he and the Packers decide to renew their vows for a 19th season.
Neither quarterback had a good season in 2022.
Having lost his right-hand man, All-Pro receiver Davante Adams, Rodgers posted a 91.1 passer rating. That was the worst of his career and ranked 16th in the NFL. His 26 touchdowns vs. 12 interceptions meant a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 2.17 to 1 – far worse than his all-time leading mark of 4.52.
Despite having his longtime friend Adams added to an on-paper-strong offense, Carr posted an 86.3 passer rating that ranked 24th in the NFL and was second-worst of his career behind his rookie season of 2014. Compared to his numbers from 2021, when the Raiders made the playoffs, Carr dipped significantly in completion percentage (68.4 vs. 60.8), yards (4,804 vs. 3,522), yards per attempt (7.7 vs. 7.0) and rating (94.0 vs. 86.3).
Both players have ties to the Jets, with their hiring of Nathaniel Hackett as offensive coordinator and Todd Downing as passing-game coordinator. Hackett was Green Bay’s offensive coordinator during its 39-win stretch from 2019 through 2021; Rodgers won MVP in 2020 and 2021. Downing was on the Raiders’ staff for Carr’s Pro Bowl seasons of 2015, 2016 and 2017.
There’s “no question” which quarterback one high-ranking executive would take.
“Rodgers,” he said earlier this week. “If you’re the Jets, you’re playing for now, so they don’t care about their age. I know Aaron didn’t have a good year and he shares in the blame for what happened, but he was hurt and the offense never really came together. If Aaron doesn’t hurt his thumb and Christian (Watson) doesn’t miss a bunch of time, are we even having this conversation” of Rodgers being available?
The next-team odds for Rodgers shifted on the news.
At DraftKings Sportsbook, the Raiders remain the favorite at -250. The Packers and Jets flip-flopped for the No. 2 position, with the Packers +200 and the Jets +250. On Thursday, the Raiders were -250, the Jets +250 and the Packers +300.
Interestingly, BetOnline’s next-team odds shifted before the Carr-Jets news was reported. The Raiders are the favorite at -200 and the Jets are +140. The Packers are not part of the wager; the bet voids and money is refunded if Rodgers returns to Green Bay or retires.
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