Free agent quarterback Derek Carr will visit with the New York Jets, sources told ESPN.
Carr was released by the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday after the veteran quarterback declined to waive his no-trade clause and just before more than $40 million of his contract would have become guaranteed.
Carr, who turns 32 in March, holds virtually every Raiders passing record. He has passed for more than 4,000 yards in four of the past five seasons. Carr went 63-79 as the team’s starter after being selected in the second round of the 2014 draft out of Fresno State.
Until his benching near the end of this past season, Carr had started 91 straight games, and he has 142 starts since entering the NFL in 2014, tied with Tom Brady for the most by a quarterback in that span.
For the Jets, adding Carr would be a departure from their recent history of trying to find a franchise quarterback through the draft. They used first-round picks on Mark Sanchez (2009), Sam Darnold (2018) and Zach Wilson (2021) but never achieved stability at the position. Since 2010, their last playoff season, the Jets have the fewest touchdown passes (225) and are tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the most interceptions (210).
Jets owner Woody Johnson said recently that the quarterback was the “missing piece” and that he would “absolutely” pay big bucks to acquire a veteran. The Jets started three quarterbacks last season, contributing to acute struggles on offense and a six-game losing streak to end the season. They changed offensive coordinators, replacing Mike LaFleur with former Denver Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett.
NFL Network first reported news of the planned visit.
Information from ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez and Rich Cimini was used in this report.