More information has been made available on why quarterback Derek Carr chose to sign with the New Orleans Saints instead of the New York Jets.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported Monday afternoon that “a source with knowledge of the situation” said Carr signed with the Saints because the signal-caller was “far more comfortable” with the situation in New Orleans than the situation with the Jets.
“Things were heating up with the Jets, the source said, but the Saints had always been the most aggressive suitor for the former [Las Vegas Raiders] captain,” Florio noted. “The Saints were the first ones to pursue Carr, and they actually made a trade offer to the Raiders for his prior contract. The Saints were the only ones to do that.”
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo (h/t Kevin Patra) reported that Carr received a four-year, $150 million contract with $100M in total guarantees from the Saints. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said on Sunday that Carr had a “slight lean” toward choosing the Jets at that time, but Florio speculated that story might have been “leaked to nudge the Saints to beignet or get off the bidet.”
Carr presumably won’t have any young prospect looking over his shoulder in New Orleans. That might not have been the case with the Jets, as New York general manager Joe Douglas suggested at the NFL Combine last week that he would’ve wanted Carr to mentor 2021 second-overall draft pick Zach Wilson.
Previously, former NFL quarterback and current “The NFL Today” analyst Boomer Esiason said that Carr was “concerned from the Jets’ perspective that Zach Wilson is here” and that Wilson’s status with the Jets could “be a sticking point for” Carr.
However, it’s possible that Carr didn’t want to settle for joining a team that allegedly has Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers as its top choice this offseason. On Monday, Jets insider Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic wrote that “the Jets made it clear that Rodgers was their No. 1 target” and that “Carr didn’t want to wait to make his move.”
It’s unknown when Rodgers will tell the Packers his plans for 2023. He could either return to Green Bay, negotiate a trade to a team such as the Jets, or retire a four-time NFL Most Valuable Player.
