The NY Jets should aggressively pursue Derek Carr in free agency

In the early going of the NFL offseason, one question has been on the mind of every NY Jets fan — who exactly will be the team's starting quarterback come Week 1 of next year? Most fans, myself included, have narrowed it down to just two options: Derek Carr and Aaron Rodgers.

Carr is the player the Jets should aggressively pursue in free agency. At the end of last season, Carr was released by the Las Vegas Raiders after playing for the team since 2014. The Jets were the second team to meet with Carr after the New Orleans Saints did prior to his release.

While the Jets have been heavily linked to Aaron Rodgers, NFL fans are waiting to hear what Rodgers' future will be since his darkness retreat has ended. Where he will be playing next year, or will he even be playing? The headache that would come with Rodgers is enough to make a lot of fans not want to bring Rodgers to Florham Park.

Carr, on the other hand, has proven to be an incredibly solid quarterback. While he may not have had the career Rodgers has had, Carr is no slouch in his own right.

This past season, the Raiders went 6-9 with Carr starting under center. Carr completed 305 of his 502 attempts and threw for 3,522 yards and 24 touchdowns. However, Carr did tie his career-high on interceptions with 14.

Derek Carr would be a significant upgrade for the NY Jets

Carr would still be a massive upgrade over Zach Wilson and the collection of quarterbacks the Jets had in 2022. Wilson, although young, had an absolute nightmare of a season, throwing for just 1,688 yards and a baffling six touchdowns. He's clearly not the answer.

When it comes to the Jets signing Carr, it seems like it could be a better deal than Rodgers because, for one, he would likely sign sooner. Rodgers seems to enjoy the media giving him attention and has dragged this situation out.

Another big thing for Jets fans is that Carr would be easier to obtain, and Gang Green wouldn't need to surrender draft capital for him as they would have to for Rodgers.

Overall, is Carr the perfect quarterback? Not exactly. However, he would still be a massive upgrade over Wilson and is much younger than Rodgers. Carr is a consistent quarterback and enough to help make the Jets contenders without the uncertainty that Rodgers provides.

Carr has been selected to the Pro Bowl four times, has the fourth most passing yards in the NFL since 2014 with 35,222, and has the seventh most touchdowns since 2014 with 214. Carr has also been incredibly durable, having never played fewer than 15 games in a season.

Derek Carr is the player the Jets should sign to stabilize their quarterback position.