Derek Carr reveals how insanely close he was to signing with NY Jets

Once upon a time, the New York Jets were in the running for then-Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. The Saints ended up signing him and the Jets later traded for Aaron Rodgers but the question remains: How close was Carr to signing with the Jets?

Carr answered that question on a Pardon My Take podcast, noting that it wasn't the right time for him but had he committed to the Jets, it'd have been because of Robert Saleh.

"I am probably like [Saleh’s] biggest fan. Like I absolutely 10/10 would run through a wall for him even if he’s not my coach. If he was like ‘I need you to do this,’ yes, sir, I would do it. That whole situation, that was the hardest thing. Because my brother knew Coach Saleh and he knew I loved New Orleans, but he was like ‘You’re going to see Saleh; you’re probably going to stay.’ He was thinking I was going to sign because of Saleh.”

Derek Carr almost picked the NY Jets because of Robert Saleh

As we all know, Carr ended up signing with the Saints and the Jets would later trade for Rodgers. While Rodgers was injured after just four snaps, it's doubtful that Carr would have fared much better behind New York's offensive line last season. He had a bad offensive line in New Orleans as well and it took him most of the season to get into a groove.

The Saints ultimately finished 9-8 but missed the playoffs. For the most part, Jets fans are relieved that Carr passed on signing with their team but it is interesting to hear him say that had he signed with the Jets, it'd have been because of Saleh. He's obviously a well-respected coach not just in the Jets organization but outside of it as well.