NY Jets could cash in on draft-day QB chaos caused by Derek Carr injury

The New York Jets are expected to explore all options when it comes to the 2025 NFL Draft, including both trade-up and trade-down scenarios. With the No. 7 overall pick and a roster in transition, the Jets are in a position to get creative. But as always, it takes two to tango.

So far, reports have indicated that there hasn’t been a ton of urgency from teams looking to move up in the draft. This year’s class is considered relatively thin at the top, especially at quarterback, and that’s cooled the market for early first-round movement.

For the Jets to pull off a trade-down, they need someone desperate enough to come get their guy. That could be changing now. One high-profile injury might be just the spark the Jets needed to find a trade partner and potentially cash in on a little draft-day chaos.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Friday that New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr is "dealing with a shoulder injury that threatens his availability for this season." The report states that Carr is considering surgery, which presumably could sideline him for much if not all of 2025.

And just like that, the quarterback market is heating up again.

NY Jets could stand to benefit from unfortunate Derek Carr injury

The Saints now find themselves in a potentially desperate situation. If Derek Carr isn’t ready for the start — or possibly the entirety — of the 2025 season, the team’s current quarterback options are far from ideal. As of now, the Saints’ QB room consists of Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener, and Ben DiNucci.

Unless the team is willing to give Rattler — a 2024 fifth-round pick — a legitimate chance to start a full season, it seems highly likely that the Saints will target a quarterback in the draft. New Orleans currently holds the No. 9 overall pick in the 2025 draft, two spots behind the Jets.

Two quarterbacks are likely to be on their radar: Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart. Alabama’s Jalen Milroe is climbing draft boards, but for now, he still appears to be a long shot to crack the top 15.

There’s a chance one of them could fall to No. 9, but the Saints may not want to risk missing out on their top quarterback target. That’s especially true with other QB-needy teams potentially looking to jump ahead of them.

One of those teams could be the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are penciled in at the No. 21 overall selection. If the Steelers have a particularly strong conviction about a certain quarterback, they might be willing to move all the way up to leapfrog the Saints.

All of this puts the Jets in a great spot. Sitting at No. 7 overall, they now hold a premium pick directly in front of the Saints at No. 9 — a perfect launching point for any team looking to jump the line for a quarterback.

Whether it’s New Orleans trying to secure their guy or a team like Pittsburgh looking to leap in front of them, the Jets suddenly find themselves holding valuable real estate.

It’s the kind of scenario that could spark a bidding war. For a team with multiple holes to fill and a front office focused on long-term building blocks, that’s an ideal outcome.

Derek Carr’s injury might have thrown the Saints’ plans into chaos, but it could give the Jets exactly the leverage they need.

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