Jets Owner 'Absolutely' Willing to Spend Big on Veteran QB amid Derek Carr Rumors

Derek Carr tweeted Thursday that he will "look forward to a new city and a new team" with his inevitable departure from the Las Vegas Raiders looming, and the New York Jets could be a landing spot since they are apparently looking to spend on a quarterback.

Jets owner Woody Johnson told reporters Thursday he is "absolutely" willing to spend for a veteran quarterback this offseason.

"We've got a cap so there's an amount you can spend," he said. "But, yeah, yeah. That's kind of the missing piece."

The Jets surely didn't envision being here when they selected Zach Wilson with the No. 2 pick of the 2021 draft.

However, he was benched twice this past season and doesn't have a lock on the starting job in 2023.

"Zach had a tough year, there's no denying that," Johnson said. "I still have confidence that I've seen some kernels of real talent there. ... (His) confidence level, whatever it was, went down, so that was certainly frustrating for him. And then we had that rotation, which is very hard to do in the NFL—changing quarterbacks."

The Jets trotted out Wilson, Mike White and Joe Flacco under center this season, which was not exactly an inspiring group and likely held them back from a better showing than their 7-10 record.

New York has some building blocks with a defense that finished fourth in the league in points allowed per game and an offense that will likely feature playmakers in running back Breece Hall and receiver Garrett Wilson for years to come.

It could be just a quarterback away from playoff contention, and Connor Hughes of SNY previously reported the team could look to pursue Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason.

Carr has been the Raiders' quarterback since 2014. While he didn't find playoff success, he is a three-time Pro Bowler with four seasons of more than 4,000 passing yards.

He is also 31 years old and figures to remain productive for at least a handful of additional seasons. Those seasons may end up coming with the Jets, depending on how this offseason unfolds.