Derek Carr To Meet With Teams At Combine

FEBRUARY 28: Providing more detail on Carr’s schedule, Rapoport tweets that at least three teams will speak with him at the Combine. That list includes the Jets and Saints (for what will be a second sit-down with Carr), but also the Panthers. Carolina is set to be in the market for a QB addition of some kind this offseason, with only Matt Corral and Jacob Eason currently under contract for 2023. It was reported last week, however, that the Panthers would not be willing to commit to Carr at the $35MM-per-season rate he is thought to be seeking. The success of his visit could change things, of course, though Carr will have several other suitors even if Carolina elects for less expensive QB options.

FEBRUARY 27: Derek Carr looks to be planning to check off more visits without logging extensive travel mileage. The free agent quarterback is headed to the Combine to meet with teams this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (video link).

The 31-year-old passer has met with the Saints and Jets already, and while those teams look like the frontrunners thus far, others have checked in on where he stands presently. The Buccaneers, Commanders, Panthers and Titans have been connected to Carr thus far, though none of these teams have been tied as closely to the nine-year veteran compared to the two he has visited.

[RELATED: Mutual Interest Between Jets, Carr]

A deal that averages more than $35MM per year has come up in the Carr sweepstakes, but Rapoport adds lengthy talks about money have not entered the equation just yet. Carr is prioritizing fit for now. While money will undoubtedly be a key component in where he lands, the former MVP candidate will be unlikely to choose a team with poor competitive prospects. Mostly through the $25MM-per-year extension he inked with the Raiders in 2017, Carr has already banked more than $130MM in his career.

During Carr’s New York visit, Jets brass told the available arm they were monitoring other QBs — including Aaron Rodgers — and let him know where he stood related to the Green Bay icon, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer. With the Jets informing Carr they want to see how the latest Packers-Rodgers offseason saga plays out, this points to the team confirming a previous report of Carr being its second choice.

The Commanders hold a substantial lead in cap space, in terms of Carr suitors, sitting on more than $35MM after cutting Carson Wentz and Bobby McCain. A Daron Payne franchise tag will cut into this figure, and Washington is not believed to be seeking to dive deep into the QB salary pool this year. They certainly were last year, and it is interesting in a year in which Ron Rivera will be on the hot seat he could be willing to go with Sam Howell and/or a lower-priced veteran. The Bucs and Panthers are believed to be in the same boat, and the Saints, despite their restructure-happy ways, still have a long ways to go on this front.

If this lot of teams is unwilling to pay franchise-level money for Carr, it would stand to reason the Jets might be able to land the longtime Raider at a lower-than-expected cost. A clearer picture of where Carr’s market stands will emerge in Indianapolis.

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