A “sticking point” to any Derek Carr marriage with the Jets, according to WFAN’s Boomer Esiason, could be the presence of another quarterback already there.
During a segment on “Boomer and Gio” Tuesday, the pair broke down two of the Jets’ quarterback options this offseason — Carr and Packers star Aaron Rodgers — and Esiason added that Carr is concerned “that Zach Wilson is here and what does the future hold for Zach Wilson?”
“I’m not sure, but it could be a sticking point for Derek Carr,” he said. “I don’t want to put words into Derek Carr’s mouth, but he certainly wanted to know what the idea and the future was for Zach Wilson. Like he should. He should go through everything that is on his mind and want answers to all these different questions.”
Esiason clarified that he doesn’t know what Carr plans to do. The former Raiders quarterback visited with the Jets over the weekend and had a “positive” experience, according to ESPN. David Carr, his brother, said that the 31-year-old “hit it off” with Jets head coach Robert Saleh.
But even those positive impressions don’t answer the question that Esiason said “nobody can answer.”
“I do know that the Jets are not doing anything with Zach Wilson, regardless of what the fanbase may think,” Esiason said. “You start reacting to the fanbase, you end up sitting with the fanbase. So there are a lot of people out there that are not all that happy with Zach Wilson, and I can understand that.
“He has to earn back the respect and the trust with the fans and certainly his teammates, and I’m not saying he’s in the running to start next year. But he is going to be here. He’s going to be part of the team, that I know. They’re not giving up on him just yet.”
Wilson, the 23-year-old who was the Jets’ first-round pick in 2021, was benched twice during his sophomore season as a quarterback carousel — also featuring Joe Flacco and Mike White — unfolded. In nine starts, he threw for 1,688 yards for six touchdowns and seven interceptions.
“I’m going to make that dude’s life hell in practice every day,” Wilson said after the season about potential quarterback competition. “I’m going to go out there and do my best to show the coaches that I deserve to be there. It’s not in a negative way, it’s a positive way. It’s making everybody else better.”
Carr became a free agent on Feb. 14 when the Raiders released him. He had previously visited with the Saints, but he then informed Las Vegas that he wouldn’t accept a trade to New Orleans or any other team. That prompted the team to part ways with the four-time Pro Bowler before $40 million in his contract became guaranteed.