The Jets‘ loss on Sunday eliminated the team from the playoffs for the 12th straight season, the longest active drought in the NFL. Foremost among New York’s areas of concern is its conundrum at the quarterback position.
New York started three different quarterbacks this season, as former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson was benched twice. With that in mind, the Jets could be in the market for a quarterback this offseason, and ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky thinks they are an attractive destination.
“Your young talent that you drafted is real,” Orlovsky said Monday on Get Up. “This is a good place for a quarterback next year. You are an appealing place for a veteran quarterback, a proven guy to sit there and go ‘I want to go to the Jets.’”
There are a few veteran quarterbacks who could be available this offseason, but not all of them present a good fit for New York. For example, Orlovsky explained that Jimmy Garoppolo’s injury history makes him a risky bet for the Jets.
Instead, Orlovsky thinks the Jets should look at current Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.
“The starting point is Derek Carr,” Orlovsky said. “If the Jets go get Derek Carr, they are a playoff football team.”
The Raiders are expected to either trade or release Carr this offseason, after the team benched him for the final two games. The veteran has three years left on his contract, which could be appealing for a Jets team with a number of rookie contracts in that window.
Since entering the NFL in 2014, Carr has missed only four games, a figure that includes the final two games of 2022. Meanwhile, Garoppolo will have missed 30 regular-season games since 2017 by the end of this season.
Orlovsky added that Carr only has played with a top-20 defense once in his career, whereas the Jets defense is ranked in the top five in most categories this season. Carr has compiled a 63-79 record with the Raiders, completing 64.6% of his passes for 35,222 with 217 touchdown passes and 99 interceptions.
