One thing is clear regarding the Jets' quarterback situation: Gang Green is a big fan of Derek Carr. After the team reportedly told Carr that he would be a future Hall of Famer if he signs with them, Jets coach Robert Saleh heaped more praise on the former Raiders quarterback from the NFL combine.
The Jets met with Carr a second time on Wednesday from Indianapolis. It appears, based on Saleh's comments, that Carr is a serious option for New York as it also continues to wait for Aaron Rodgers' decision regarding his future. Saleh compared Carr to Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who won a Super Bowl later in his career after changing teams.
"Derek's got an elite makeup with regards to football IQ," Saleh said, via the team's website. "He's got tremendous accuracy and arm strength. He can put the ball anywhere you want. He's underrated in terms of a scrambler, being able to move out of the pocket and all that stuff.
"He's been asked to do a lot in his career. He's more in line with what [Matt] Stafford's career has been in terms of if you can just get him to a place that can surround him with all the pieces and allow him to just quarterback, it'd be pretty cool. He's a solid young man."
Carr and Stafford's careers are similar. While their career stats are extremely similar, Carr actually has four times as many Pro Bowl selections as Stafford, whose only Pro Bowl season was in 2014. Both quarterbacks also toiled on subpar teams for large chunks of their careers. Stafford finally tasted postseason success in his first year in Los Angeles after spending the first 12 years of his career in Detroit. He threw the game-winning touchdown pass during the Rams' Super Bowl LVI win over the Bengals.
Carr is surely hoping to have similar success during the back nine of his career. That success could come in New York while playing for a coach that clearly values him.
"He's a tremendous young man," Saleh said of Carr. "He's a father of four. His mind's in the right spot. He understands, he keeps the main thing the main thing. He's an impressive young man, for sure."
