Jets’ Robert Saleh compares Derek Carr to Matthew Stafford, hypes veteran QBs ‘elite mental makeup’

INDIANAPOLIS — On Wednesday, the Jets met with veteran quarterback free agent Derek Carr for the second time in three weeks.

The first meeting took place in New Jersey near the Jets facility the weekend of Feb. 18. This time, it was at the NFL Combine as Carr met with Jets owner Woody Johnson and general manager Joe Douglas.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh could not attend because of a stomach bug he was dealing with, but he came away impressed with Carr after the first meeting with the four-time Pro Bowler.

“He’s a tremendous young man,” Saleh told reporters via Zoom on Thursday. “His mind is in the right spot, he keeps the main thing the main thing. He’s got an elite mental makeup with regards to football IQ. He’s got tremendous accuracy and arm strength. He can put the ball anywhere you want.

“He’s underrated in terms of a scrambler and being able to move out of the pocket and all that stuff. He’s been asked to do a lot in his career and you just look at him, I’ve said it before, I think he’s more in line with what [Rams’ quarterback Matt] Stafford’s career has been in terms of if you can just get him to a place that can surround him with all the pieces to allow him to just play quarterback 10-15 times a game, it would be pretty cool. He’s a solid young man.”

The Jets got to speak with Carr weeks before the start of free agency on March 15 because the Raiders released him on Feb. 14 after nine seasons with the team. Along with the Jets, Carr has met with the Saints twice and the Panthers as all three teams need an upgrade at quarterback.

Gang Green and Carr don’t seem to be in any rush to make a decision. The Jets are also monitoring Aaron Rodgers to see if he could become available.

Rodgers, 39, recently returned from a darkness retreat in southern Oregon. He is still contemplating his future and could retire, return to the Packers or play elsewhere in 2023. He is expected to decide soon with free agency and the new league year less than two weeks away

Carr, 31, would be their second option if the Jets cannot land Rodgers through a trade.

“As a coach, you always want it done yesterday,” Saleh said. “We appreciate everyone’s process, we appreciate how everyone is going about it, we appreciate the time everyone needs.

“It’s just being deliberate in our process and making sure that we’re taking care of our stuff, but also being mindful and respectful for other people, too.”

Four different players took snaps for the Jets last season as their offense struggled to find any consistency at the QB position. Gang Green finished 25th in total offense and 29th in points per game.

Carr would certainly provide lift to the Jets’ offense as he threw for 3,522 yards, 24 touchdowns and 14 interceptions before the Raiders benched him for the final two games of the season.

Zach Wilson, who started nine games for the Jets last year, was benched twice, including the final two games of the regular season. Mike White and Joe Flacco, who also started multiple games for the Jets in 2022, are both free agents. The only other quarterback on the Jets roster besides Wilson is Chris Streveler.

The Jets are expected to keep Wilson on the roster as the team’s backup quarterback. In 22 career games for the Jets, Wilson has thrown for 4,022 yards, 15 touchdowns, 18 interceptions while completing 55.2% of his passes. His record as a starter is 8-14.

After being selected second overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, Wilson has dealt with injuries, poor performances and being booed by Jets fans. But Saleh and the team remain committed to Wilson.

“It’s stay in the moment and try to do everything we can to help everyone get better, be the best version of themselves they can be,” Saleh said. “So whether we bring in a guy who’s in his early 30s and you know he’s going to be here for a while, the focus is to just help him get better, as best as he can, and if his best gets to be showcased here as a New York Jet, awesome, if not, it’s still awesome because all we want is what’s best for him and his development, no different than any other player on our roster.

“That’s our job to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to help them find ways to reach their max potential, as coaches, and then Joe and his staff, their job is to continue to push the envelope and finding players who can continue to maintain that standard. So, to answer your question, I don’t have it for two years from now, I don’t know what that means, I just know our focus is to try to help him get as best as he can.”

Although the Jets are committed to Wilson and finding a veteran quarterback, they also want to bring back White, who started four games last year. Gang Green did keep three quarterbacks on its roster last year with Wilson, White and Flacco, but it is difficult to see White returning considering the potential market for him even as a backup quarterback.

“I feel like I probably should be talking about him more,” Saleh said. “Mike deserves every bit to be talked about, he should be on this roster also. You know we carried three last year, but again, he’s going through his process, and it’s just something that obviously we’re keeping close tabs on.”