Jets' Top QB Options in NFL Free Agency, Trade, Draft After Derek Carr Joins Saints

The quarterback pool for the Jets got slightly smaller Monday after Derek Carr decided to sign with the New Orleans Saints. The Jets and Carr reportedly had a lot of mutual interest and the decision now leaves New York in a bit of a tricky spot.

A four-time Pro Bowler, Carr would have been a good fit for a team in desperate need of a quarterback as former No. 2 pick Zach Wilson hasn't panned out at all over the first two seasons of his career.

With a talented, young defense and lots of offensive weapons—namely Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson—the Jets would be a nice landing sport for any number of free agents, trade candidates or draft prospects who are hoping to go to a possible contender.

The top quarterbacks on the Jets depth chart are currently Mike White, Joe Flacco and Wilson, all of whom are varying levels of decent but haven't proven to be good enough to take the team to the next level.

New York is about $1 million over the cap, according to Spotrac, so it will have to move some things around if they are going to add its future signal caller.

Here are some potential targets for the Jets moving forward.

---

Aaron Rodgers

This one is expected as the Jets have done a poor job of hiding their hand.

The organization has shown plenty of interest in Rodgers since the offseason began. The four-time league MVP has yet to decide what his NFL future will look like next season.

The 39-year-old is not coming off the greatest year of his career, he failed to reach the heights that won him back-to-back MVPs in the previous two years. But he would provide an immediate upgrade over anything the Jets have had at quarterback recently.

He threw for 3,695 yards in 2022 to go along with 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions—a career high—while completing 64.6 percent of his passes.

Rodgers would follow in the footsteps of Brett Favre, who also made the move to New York after a long career with the Packers.

The Jets also hired Rogers' former offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett in the same capacity, which only added to the rumors.

One possible roadblock for any deal is the amount of money that Rodgers will be owed over the next few seasons. He is due $59.5 million in guaranteed money this year and another $49.25 million in 2024.

His cap hit for 2023 is set to be $31.6 million.

---

Jimmy Garoppolo

Given his recent track record, a team with an uber-talented defense and a great set of skill-position players sounds like a situation in which Garoppolo could thrive.

It's a seemingly perfect fit for the soon-to-be free agent who landed in a similar predicament when he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in the middle of the 2017 season. All he did was lead the franchise to a Super Bowl appearance and a few NFC Championship Games in his six years in the Bay Area.

There have also been some recent reports connecting the 31-year-old with the Jets and that he was one of the organization's top targets before Carr got in the mix.

One of the reasons for that may be that—much like Rodgers—Garoppolo is a known commodity with the Jets staff as head coach Robert Saleh was the defensive coordinator in San Francisco for the majority of Garoppolo's tenure with the team. So, a reunion wouldn't exactly come as a shock.

It's unclear how it might affect the situation, but Garoppolo is also very familiar with playing in the AFC East as he spent the first four years of his career with the New England Patriots, mostly serving as the backup to Tom Brady.

He did have a 2-0 record as a starter while with the team, however.

---

Anthony Richardson

If the Jets want Richardson—or any first-round quarterback in the draft for that matter—they'll likely have to trade up from No. 13 in order to get him.

This is especially true in the case of Richardson, who has been rocketing up draft boards over the past few weeks, more so after his performance at the combine.

Some scouts believe the former Florida Gator will be taken in the top 12, according to a recent report by ESPN's Dan Graziano. And that was before Richardson ran a 4.43 in the 40-yard dash, showed off a 40.5-inch vertical and unleashed his unreal arm at the combine last weekend.

For what it's worth, Richardson did have a meeting with the Jets during the combine, but so did most of the teams in the league. So, they will have plenty of competition for the 21-year-old if they want him in green and white next season.

His arm strength and mobility will add another explosive component to the Jets' offensive core, and if he's developed correctly, the sky is the limit for where he could potentially lead the franchise.

In his most recent mock draft, NFL Network's Chad Reuter has Richardson landing with the Jets.