What could it cost the NY Jets to sign Derek Carr?

The NY Jets may have their sights set on Aaron Rodgers, but they're going to do their due diligence on Derek Carr as well. Now that Carr has officially been released, the Jets are one of a few teams expected to be in the market for the four-time Pro Bowler's services.

Expect a formal visit in the near future as Carr weighs his options on the open market and the Jets consider the route they want to take this offseason. The Jets will be interested.

As one of the top available quarterbacks on the market this offseason, Carr figures to have no shortage of suitors. His market will be robust, which should help him drive up the price and earn some serious money this offseason.

But exactly how much are we talking? Bleacher Report's Maurice Moton weighed in on the situation and gave his prediction for what he believes Carr's next contract will look like. Surprisingly, it's not as high as you might think.

What would a NY Jets/Derek Carr contract look like?

Moton predicts that Carr will earn anywhere between $28 and 31 million annually on his next contract. That would place him somewhere around the Ryan Tannehill/Matt Ryan tier of contracts — certainly below what many others seem to believe.

It seems more likely, at least to me, that $31 million is more so the low end of what Carr's next deal could look like. Kirk Cousins is making $35 million annually. Jared Goff and Carson Wentz have $33 million and $32 million, respectively, on their current deals.

It isn't often that a quarterback of Carr's caliber hits the open market, so it seems likely that he will be paid more than he's truly worth. That's just the nature of today's quarterback market.

What really matters, however, isn't the total dollar figure. Carr is likely going to be more concerned with the structure of the contract, especially as it pertains to guarantees.

Carr might not be able to receive a Kirk Cousins-like fully-guaranteed contract, but he's going to be looking for as much guaranteed money as possible. Something in the range of 60-70 percent in guarantees makes sense.

I think a reasonable contract projection would be something like three years, $110 million with $70 million in guarantees. That would give him an AAV of roughly $36.67 million with a contract that can be fully guaranteed for the first two years.

$28-31 million certainly seems like a low-end projection given Carr's developing market and the leverage he has. If the Jets want Carr, they're going to need to pay up.

That's just the nature of acquiring a proven commodity at the quarterback position in today's NFL. They don't grow on trees and they don't come cheap.