Derek Carr makes the combine about himself, interviewing with 3 teams

February 28, 2023 ndowd

Derek Carr is a five-star man heading back to the NFL Combine in search of a new team.

Derek Carr thinks the combine is so nice, he is going there twice.

We are not in Kansas anymore, or Southern Nevada for that matter. The former Las Vegas Raiders quarterback is looking for a new place to call his home. While most people with kids go to Orlando or the panhandle in early March for something we like to call spring break, Carr is making a second pilgrimage to the house that Peyton Manning built, searching for a new team and shrimp cocktail.

Ian Rapoport of The NFL Network reported on Tuesday that Carr will be in Indianapolis while the NFL Combine takes place. He will be conducting in-person interviews with quarterback-desperate teams like the Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets during his free-agency courtship. Oh, he will have suitors, alright, but this five-star man must wait his turn at the buffet.

Whether it is barbecue, jambalaya or a slice of New York, Carr is about to have a mess on his plate.

When QB Derek Carr arrives in Indianapolis today, he’ll have in-person free agent meetings with 3 teams: The #Jets, the #Saints, and the #Panthers. He’s already visited New Orleans and NYJ, now he adds Carolina and maybe more. Coaches, GMs, owners all in the same spot this week.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 28, 2023

Carr has already visited with the Jets and Saints before, but the Panthers’ inclusion in this is new.

Derek Carr is going back to the NFL Combine to find a new franchise to play for

Frankly, the NFC South is probably where Carr will end up. The Atlanta Falcons are the least likely to sign him because they really like second-year pro Desmond Ridder and have the No. 8 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a sinking ship with Tom Brady retiring. They won the division with a sub-.500 record, but are not going to hand the baton off to … Kyle Trask.

So one would think the Buccaneers will join the Carr courtship party up in Indianapolis. As for the Panthers, they have the No. 9 overall pick, but are largely unsettled at the quarterback position. They have a new head coach in Frank Reich. Last time I checked, Carr measures in well over 6-feet tall. The best part in all this is he is at the epicenter of the universe where players get measured.

And if there was any team in the NFC South most likely to sign Carr, it would have to be the Saints. He played for Dennis Allen previously in Oakland. He has already visited with the franchise. Given that they do not have anywhere near the draft capital the Falcons and Panthers do, their only logical paths to upgrade at the quarterback position are either through a trade of NFL free agency.

As far as the Jets are concerned, this is probably the best roster Carr could conceivably sign onto. Had they been better at quarterback, Gang Green might have made the playoffs. However, the New York media will eat anyone alive. Carr has thin skin to begin with. While he would surely be more popular in the locker room than Zach Wilson, Mike White is a guy and Gang Green loves him.

Carr will find a new place to play probably by the end of the week, potentially in the NFC South.

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