Poll: Who Will Be Jets’ Starting QB In 2023?
Last week’s Jets quarterback change may not be a long-term move, per Robert Saleh, but Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes the expectation is Mike White will keep his new gig against the Vikings and Bills over the next two weeks. White faring reasonably well against those upper-echelon teams could keep Zach Wilson out of the picture for a while.
The Jets have assembled a quality defense quicker than most expected. After ranking last in both total defense and scoring last season, the Jets are a top-five team in both categories in Saleh’s second season. Their defense sits fourth in DVOA, creating legitimate playoff aspirations for the first time since 2015. The Jets have a chance to snap the NFL’s longest playoff drought (11 seasons), leading Saleh to yank Wilson. That move is atypical for a player with Wilson’s draft pedigree and injects uncertainty into the Jets’ quarterback plans beyond 2022.
No quarterback selected in the top five has been benched for performance reasons before the end of his second season since the Bengals sat down 1999 No. 3 overall pick Akili Smith midway through the 2000 campaign. Wilson being shut down represents an obvious red flag about his future. Will the Jets be able to pivot back to last year’s No. 2 overall pick?
QBR places Wilson in 25th, actually two spots ahead of Aaron Rodgers, after the BYU product finished 30th in this metric as a rookie. Passer rating is far less kind; no starter checks in behind Wilson’s 72.6 mark there. Joe Flacco remains the Jets’ touchdown pass leader, with five, despite having exited after three starts to clear another path for Wilson. The Jets used a top-three pick on a quarterback twice in a four-year span, but while Sam Darnold was not holding a well-built defense back, Wilson was. Rumblings of teammates’ waning confidence in the fast-rising prospect surfacing this past offseason certainly open the door to the Jets needing to consider other options for 2023.
White torched a battered Bears secondary, doing so more than a year after he posted the first Jets’ 400-yard passing performance since Vinny Testaverde in 2000. The former Cowboys fifth-round pick has been with the Jets since 2019, initially landing a practice squad gig, and has enjoyed spurts of popularity over the past two seasons. The Jets demoted Flacco for the ex-Day 3 draftee earlier this season. White’s next two performances will help illustrate if the Jets can legitimately consider him for their 2023 starting gig. White, 27, will need to be re-signed next year. His putting together more quality starts will complicate that process for the Jets.
Saleh and OC Mike LaFleur‘s San Francisco ties create a natural path for Jimmy Garoppolo, whom the 49ers cannot retain via the franchise tag due to the sides’ August restructure. Then committed to Wilson, the Jets were not closely linked to Garoppolo during this year’s long-running (and ultimately fruitless) trade sweepstakes, but this could easily become a much-rumored landing spot for the ex-Patriots second-rounder. Will the 49ers, however, be so quick to move on and give the keys back to the largely untested Trey Lance?
A veteran deal would mean cutting into the advantage Wilson’s rookie contract creates, but if Wilson cannot do enough to stay on the field, the Jets need to regroup to capitalize on the defense they have built. The Broncos took this route in 2018, which would have been No. 26 overall pick Paxton Lynch‘s third season. Denver waived the first-round bust months after signing Case Keenum.
The Raiders have not lived up to expectations in Josh McDaniels‘ first season, and the second-chance HC — who is likely to return for another season — has a slim window to unload Derek Carr‘s three-year, $121.4MM contract. Three days after Super Bowl LVII, Carr is owed $40.5MM — his 2023 salary and $7.5MM of his 2024 base — creating an avenue for a trade. The Jets would need to act swiftly, and it would wall off a Garoppolo path a month before it could open. But Carr could be available ahead of his age-32 season, should McDaniels want a fresh start.
On the other end of the timing spectrum, Rodgers could conceivably be available next summer. While Rodgers trade speculation has ultimately provided endless content and no action, the Packers structured his record-setting $50.3MM-per-year contract to include a 2023 option bonus ($58.3MM) that can be paid out at any point from the start of the 2023 league year to the day before next season. It would cost the Packers only $15.8MM in dead money, per OverTheCap, to trade the contract after June 1. The Jets would be making a familiar move, trading for a future Hall of Fame Packers QB in his late 30s, but this scenario will undoubtedly be mentioned. Rodgers, who backtracked on his trade demand in 2021 and passed on leaving Green Bay this year, does not have a no-trade clause.
For the first time since 2016, they are not poised to have a top-12 pick. What other options would be available for Gang Green? The Seahawks are aiming to re-sign ex-Jet Geno Smith, while Daniel Jones hopping New York teams seems unlikely as well. Gardner Minshew and brief Jet Teddy Bridgewater are also slated to hit the market. Tom Brady, as it should be at least noted, is also due for free agency. If the Lions land their QB prospect in the draft, Jared Goff stands to be available. As this year’s quarterback carousel showed, more options could be on the table.
Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts on this unusual situation in the comments section.
Who will be Jets' starting quarterback in 2023?
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Jimmy Garoppolo 28% (645)
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Mike White 25% (587)
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Zach Wilson 17% (387)
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Aaron Rodgers 13% (299)
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Derek Carr 10% (221)
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Other (specify in comments) 7% (166)
Total votes: 2,305
Raiders WR Davante Adams On Trade Request, Packers Exit
After years of Davante Adams–Derek Carr reunion rumors, the Raiders made that happen this year by completing a tag-and-trade transaction with the Packers. Rejoining his ex-Fresno State teammate, Adams will begin play on his five-year, $140MM contract this week.
The ninth-year wide receiver had already confirmed the Packers offered more money to keep him. Despite that, Adams requested to be traded out of Green Bay, according to Tim Keown of ESPN.com.
“The time came where I had to think about my overall life and happiness,” Adams said, via Keown. “Where do I want my kids to grow up? I love Green Bay, but I’m a West Coast dude and a lot of family — especially my grandparents — haven’t been able to see me play in close to a decade of playing pro ball. It’s all the same people that’s coming — and it’s not a whole lot.”
An East Palo Alto, Calif., native, Adams played with Carr at Fresno State from 2012-13. The two had discussed a reunion at various points — one coming in 2017, before Adams signed a $14MM-per-year extension to stay in Green Bay — but Carr called Adams shortly after the Raiders’ wild-card loss to the Bengals, Keown adds. Classifying his 2022 recruitment of Adams “egregious,” Carr said something to the effect of, “Hey, whenever you’re ready, I’m ready. Let’s figure this thing out” to his former college teammate ahead of the Packers’ divisional-round game against the 49ers. Carr’s recruitment of Adams, who was set for free agency before the Packers tagged him, continued between the Packers’ playoff loss and the March trade.
Aaron Rodgers discussed his pitch for Adams to stay earlier this year, but Keown notes the four-time MVP told Adams his time in Green Bay was nearing its conclusion and the wideout needed to make his own choice about his long-term NFL future. Although Adams added, “it is not like I orchestrated this; nothing like that,” the Packers accommodated the wide receiver’s wishes to be moved. It was known Las Vegas was his preferred destination.
The trade sent Adams out of the NFC, freed up some funds (Green Bay re-signed both De’Vondre Campbell and Rasul Douglas this offseason) and provided first- and second-round picks (used on linebacker Quay Walker and to move up for wide receiver Christian Watson).
The Raiders have Carr signed through the 2025 season, via the three-year, $141.5MM extension agreed to in April. While a narrow 2023 window exists for the Raiders to escape the extension comes after Super Bowl LVII — $40.5MM (his 2023 base salary and part of his ’24 base) is due on Feb. 15 — the Carr-Adams connection reforming makes it highly unlikely the Raiders would bail on this pairing after one season. Las Vegas also has Hunter Renfrow signed through 2024.
Largest 2022 Cap Hits: Offense
After the COVID-19 pandemic led to the second reduction in NFL salary cap history last year, the 2022 cap made a record jump. This year’s salary ceiling ($208.2MM) checks in $25.7MM north of the 2021 figure.
While quarterbacks’ salaries will continue to lead the way, a handful of blockers and skill-position players carry sizable cap numbers for 2022. A few of the quarterbacks that lead the way this year may not be tied to those numbers once the regular season begins. The 49ers, Browns and Ravens have made efforts to alter these figures via trades or extensions.
Here are the top 2022 salary cap hits on the offensive side of the ball:
- Ryan Tannehill, QB (Titans): $38.6MM
- Patrick Mahomes, QB (Chiefs): $35.79MM
- Kirk Cousins, QB (Vikings): $31.42MM
- Jared Goff, QB (Lions): $31.15MM
- Aaron Rodgers, QB (Packers): $28.53MM
- Carson Wentz, QB (Commanders): $28.29MM
- Jimmy Garoppolo, QB (49ers): $26.95MM
- Russell Wilson, QB (Broncos): $24MM
- Lamar Jackson, QB (Ravens): $23.02MM
- Kenny Golladay, WR (Giants): $21.2MM
- Garett Bolles, T (Broncos): $21MM
- Dak Prescott, QB (Cowboys): $19.73MM
- Derek Carr, QB (Raiders): $19.38MM
- D.J. Humphries, T (Cardinals): $19.33MM
- Keenan Allen, WR (Chargers): $19.2MM
- Taylor Decker, T (Lions): $18.9MM
- Sam Darnold, QB (Panthers): 18.89MM
- Baker Mayfield, QB (Browns): $18.89MM
- Matt Ryan, QB (Colts): $18.7MM
- Ronnie Stanley, T (Ravens): $18.55MM
- Donovan Smith, T (Buccaneers): $18.4MM
- Ezekiel Elliott, RB (Cowboys): $18.22MM
- DeAndre Hopkins, WR (Cardinals): $17.95MM
- Cooper Kupp, WR (Rams): $17.8MM
- Laremy Tunsil, T (Texans): $17.71MM
- The Chiefs’ cap sheet looks a bit different this year, with Tyreek Hill and Tyrann Mathieu off the roster. But Mahomes’ cap number rockets from $7.4MM in 2021 to the league’s second-largest figure in 2022. This marks the first time Mahomes’ 10-year contract is set to count more than $10MM toward Kansas City’s cap, with the AFC West champs not yet restructuring the deal this year.
- Tied to a few lucrative extensions since relocating to Minnesota, Cousins’ third Vikings deal dropped his cap number from $45MM. The fifth-year Vikings QB’s cap number is set to climb past $36MM in 2023.
- Prior to negotiating his landmark extension in March, Rodgers was set to count more than $46MM on the Packers’ payroll.
- The 49ers are aiming to move Garoppolo’s nonguaranteed money off their payroll. That figure becomes guaranteed in Week 1, providing a key date for the franchise. San Francisco is prepared to let Garoppolo negotiate contract adjustments with other teams to facilitate a trade.
- Wilson counts $26MM on the Seahawks’ 2022 payroll, due to the dead money the NFC West franchise incurred by trading its 10-year starter in March.
- Jackson, Darnold and Mayfield are attached to fifth-year option salaries. Jackson’s is higher due to the former MVP having made two Pro Bowls compared to his 2018 first-round peers’ zero. The 2020 CBA separated fifth-year option values by playing time and accomplishments. The Browns and Panthers have engaged in off-and-on negotiations on divvying up Mayfield’s salary for months, while a Jackson extension remains on the radar.
- Golladay’s cap number jumped from $4.47MM last year to the highest non-quarterback figure among offensive players. The Giants wideout’s four-year deal calls for $21MM-plus cap hits from 2023-24.
- Prior to being traded to the Colts, who adjusted their new starter’s contract, Ryan was set to carry an NFL-record $48MM cap hit this year. The Falcons are carrying a league-record $40.5MM dead-money charge after dealing their 14-year starter.
- The Texans restructured Tunsil’s deal in March, dropping his 2022 cap hit from $26.6MM to its present figure. Because of the adjustment, Tunsil’s 2023 cap number resides at $35.2MM
Contract information courtesy of Over The Cap
Raiders, Derek Carr Agree To $121MM+ Deal
5:12pm: Carr’s contract contains a $65.5MM injury guarantee, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer, and the deal will give the ninth-year veteran a $5.2MM raise in 2022 (Twitter link). Carr will make $24.9MM fully guaranteed in 2022, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes.
A key date comes after Super Bowl LVII. Three days after the Super Bowl, Carr will see $40.5MM — his $33MM 2023 salary and $7.5MM of his 2024 pay — become fully guaranteed, Breer tweets. This would give the Raiders a small window to work out a trade in 2023, but Carr’s no-trade clause gives him final say on any potential escape-hatch deal for the team.
9:33am: The Raiders and Derek Carr have agreed to terms on a three-year extension worth $121.5MM (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). With that, the Raiders’ star quarterback will remain in place through the 2025 season. 
Carr’s deal includes a no-trade clause (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo), a rarity in the NFL enjoyed by only about a dozen players. All together, Carr is set to earn $141.3MM over the next four years, with $100MM of it coming in the next three seasons, per Garafolo. That’s player-friendly cashflow for Carr, who was fighting for his Raiders future just a couple of years ago.
It’s the latest splash in the Raiders’ busy offseason, following their acquisition of wide receiver Davante Adams. Ultimately, GM Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels have kept much of the core in tact while revamping the team after a tumultuous 2021.
Carr’s $40.5MM new-money average puts him fifth among all quarterbacks and, as noted by NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (Twitter link), he’s now the seventh member of the league’s $40MM/year club, joining Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford and Dak Prescott.
Carr, who just turned 31, had one year to go on his old deal with a cap hit of $19.8MM. After he notched a career-high 4,804 passing yards en route to his first ever playoff appearance, the Raiders were unwilling to risk losing him. Now, Carr’s got a fat new contract and an old friend in Adams, his former teammate at Fresno State.
“Derek’s fit on the team, as a player, is obviously what we’re looking for and what we’re trying to build around,” McDaniels said recently. “[When it comes to the contract,] you try and do what’s best for the team. When we get into those conversations with Derek, Derek’s going to have to make decisions about what’s best for him… There will be a sweet spot in there hopefully for everybody, and we’ll be excited to go forward like that.”
Today, the Raiders are undoubtedly excited as they’ve locked up their three-time Pro Bowler for years to come.
Raiders Beginning Extension Talks With Derek Carr
Amidst a slew of major moves in the AFC West this offseason – including two notable additions by the Raiders – one priority has remained the same. An extension for quarterback Derek Carr is something the team’s new front office has begun working towards, per Vic Tafur of the Athletic (subscription required). 
As Tafur reports, talks have begun between the Raiders and Carr’s camp regarding a new deal. The just-turned 31-year-old has one year remaining on his current contract, which carries a cap hit of $19.8MM. Earlier this month, it was reported that an extension was expected to be coming “sooner than later“.
Besides the level of Carr’s play in its own regard this season (including a career-high 4,804 passing yards and his first ever playoff appearance), the main reason that was the case was Las Vegas’ acquisition of Davante Adams. The two played together at Fresno State, and the teams’ willingness to trade for Adams signalled they were prepared to make a commitment to Carr as well. New head coach Josh McDaniels said, “Derek’s fit on the team, as a player, is obviously what we’re looking for and what we’re trying to build around”.
As for a new contract, McDaniels added, “Ultimately you try and do what’s best for the team… when we get into those conversations with Derek, Derek’s going to have to make decisions about what’s best for him… There will be a sweet spot in there hopefully for everybody, and we’ll be excited to go forward like that.”
While that comment was quickly met with a response from Tim Younger, Carr’s agent (on Twitter), Tafur notes that “talks have not grown adversarial” between the two camps. That will be a welcomed sign for the Raiders, as they try to secure the three-time Pro Bowler for the foreseeable future.
Latest On Raiders QB Derek Carr
Derek Carr got his wish earlier tonight when the Packers traded for wideout Davante Adams. Next up: a lucrative extension. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Raiders will now pivot to extending their quarterback. Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal tweets that an extension is coming “sooner than later.”
[RELATED: Packers Trade WR Davante Adams To Raiders]
When the Raiders hired Dave Ziegler as GM and Josh McDaniels as head coach, some were questioning whether Carr would be moved. The organization continued to say that Carr would be sticking around Las Vegas, and the Raiders’ decision to reunite their QB with his college WR all but confirms that Carr will be with the team for the foreseeable future.
Back in 2017, Carr became the first player in the NFL to average $25MM per season. Even while breaking that barrier, Carr claimed at the time that he was leaving money on the table. Pundits posit that Carr has earned near-top-tier money that could make him yet another quarterback to join the $40MM per year club, joining the likes Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Dak Prescott.
Carr’s current deal runs through the 2022 season, so the two sides will surely want to complete a deal before the offseason is over. The front office has already spent big money to extend Adams and Maxx Crosby, so Carr should see a lucrative contract before long.
Raiders, Maxx Crosby Working On Deal
The Raiders and defensive end Maxx Crosby are working on a new contract that would make him one of the highest-paid defensive players in the NFL, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic. Meanwhile, they’re prioritizing Crosby’s deal over an extension for quarterback Derek Carr.
[RELATED: Latest On Derek Carr’s Trade Market]
Crosby, a 2019 fourth-round pick, has blossomed into one of the Raiders’ most impactful defenders. The Eastern Michigan product still has one more year to go on his deal, but new Raiders GM Dave Ziegler doesn’t want to let him get anywhere near the open market. Ziegler doesn’t want to show his hand or come on too strong, but he’s hinted that a Crosby contract is on the agenda.
“As we’re kind of going through free agency and getting to the draft, there are going to be some of those organic conversations you’re going to have. I wouldn’t say we’re there yet,” Ziegler said. “I know it’s a curious question and I get that, but we’re just trying to take so many small bites right now. In due time, we’ll look at all those things. But it’s always good to have good players.”
Crosby, 24, earned his trip to the Pro Bowl in 2021 with eight sacks, 30 quarterback hits, 13 tackles for loss, and a league-leading 92 pressures. All in all, he’s got 25 sacks to his credit with perfect attendance throughout his young career. Tafur believes that Crosby could land in the second tier of edge rushers, somewhere behind T.J. Watt ($28MM/year), Joey Bosa ($27MM/year), and Myles Garrett ($25MM/year). A deal similar to that of Chiefs DE Frank Clark (five years, $105.5MM) could make sense, Tafur writes, though it’s worth noting that Clark inked his deal in 2019, before the market really picked up. Crosby also has stronger numbers than Clark, so there’s a case for a higher AAV.
Carr, meanwhile, set a new personal watermark in passing yards (4,804) with 23 touchdowns against 14 interceptions and a 68%+ completion rate. He also brought the Raiders to the playoffs, but the new regime may still prefer to start fresh.
“Multiple Teams” Interested In Derek Carr
With plenty of questions surrounding the biggest names who may or may not be on the quarterback market, other signal callers have generated buzz. One of those is Derek Carr, whose future has been thought to be in doubt given his contract status and the arrival of a new regime in Las Vegas. Not surprisingly, then, Vincent Bonsignore of The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports (via Twitter) that there could be a trade market developing for him.
[Related: McDaniels Confirms Carr As 2022 Starter]
Specifically, Bonsignore states that “multiple teams have expressed interest” in Carr. Again, that doesn’t come as a surprise, given that he only has one year remaining on his current deal. At a cap hit under $20MM, he would be an appealing acquisition for a number of teams looking for at least a bridge QB in the short- to medium-term. However, new head coach Josh McDaniels said earlier this week there was “no doubt” Carr would remain the Raiders’ starter in 2022.
Once it had been announced that McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler were being hired, there was a reported “mutual admiration” between Carr – who will be 31 by the beginning of next season – and the new men in charge. He set a career high in passing yards last year with 4,804, adding 23 touchdowns while completing over 68% of his passes. Most importantly, he made his playoff debut in his eighth season, all with the Raiders.
While all signs point to Carr remaining in Vegas, Bonsignore adds that outside interest should “continue to heat up” as long as Carr’s future beyond 2022 remains up in the air. Between contract talks, and other QB dominoes falling in the coming days and weeks, more clarity on this situation could be coming soon.
Josh McDaniels: Derek Carr To Remain Raiders’ Starter
Josh McDaniels‘ first try as a head coach involved an early feud with the team’s starting quarterback and a seismic trade occurring soon after. It does not appear the new Raiders HC has his sights set on a quarterback change to start his second HC go-round.
When asked by NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero if he was prepared to confirm Derek Carr would be Las Vegas’ Week 1 starter, McDaniels indicated there was “no doubt” this would be the case (video link). This follows a report that indicated mutual respect exists between Carr and the longtime Patriots offensive coordinator. This would be Carr’s ninth season as the Raiders’ QB1.
In Denver, McDaniels’ irking of Jay Cutler led to a stunning trade in April 2009, sending the 2008 Pro Bowler to Chicago for a package of picks. McDaniels trading up for Tim Tebow in the 2010 first round added to a dismal quarterback run for the young coach/de facto personnel czar in Denver. It seems McDaniels is eyeing a more stable start to his Raiders tenure.
Carr spent most of Jon Gruden‘s stay in trade rumors, but the Raiders kept going year to year with the Reggie McKenzie-era draftee. The Raiders brought in Marcus Mariota to push Carr in 2020, but the longtime starter staved off the former No. 2 overall pick. Mariota is on track for free agency again. Last season, Carr led the Raiders to the playoffs despite the midseason exits of Gruden and Henry Ruggs. Carr finished with a career-high 282.6 passing yards per game, though his QBR figure (52.4, 14th) dropped after back-to-back marks above 64 (10th, 11th).
The Raiders will soon need to make a decision on Carr, and McDaniels added (via Pro Football Focus’ Doug Kyed, on Twitter) the sides have not begun extension discussions yet. Carr’s $25MM-per-year contract — an NFL record when signed in June 2017 — runs through the 2022 season. If the Raiders are committed to the soon-to-be 31-year-old passer, they will need to authorize a big raise.
QB Carr’s Future In Vegas Secure
Quarterback Derek Carr‘s future with the Raiders has been hot and cold for quite a while now, but, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the new leadership in Las Vegas is prepared to show their commitment to the eighth-year veteran with a contract extension. 
Just before the start of February, the Raiders announced the hirings of two former New England employees. They were taking the Patriots’ offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels, to fill the role of head coach and the Patriots’ director of player personnel, Dave Ziegler, to fill the role of general manager. Both McDaniels and Ziegler had shown interest in trading for Carr during their time in New England.
Since the departures of former head coach Jon Gruden and former general manager Mike Mayock, Carr has been unsure of his future, claiming that his status could be impacted by the team’s hires. Carr’s top choice to replace Gruden was, in fact, McDaniels. The mutual support and respect is something that Carr has not had the luxury of enjoying throughout his eight years with the organization.
Joel Corry, who writes for CBS Sports on NFL contracts and salary caps, tweeted out some ideas of what an extension may look like for Carr. Back in 2017, Carr became the first player in the NFL to average $25MM per annum. Even while breaking that barrier, Carr claimed at the time that he was leaving money in the cap for deals with guard Gabe Jackson and outside linebacker Khalil Mack. Corry and Rapoport both posit that Carr has earned near-top-tier money that could make him the fourth quarterback to join the $40MM per year club, joining the likes Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Dak Prescott.
The Raiders have some time to figure out a deal with Carr, as he’s under contract through next season. They may attempt to make a show of good faith and offer an extension before the start of his contract year, or, with relations between leadership and the quarterback being much healthier, they may be able to take some time to figure out the best deal for both sides. Regardless, it is certainly an improved situation for everyone involved, and the Raiders will hope to reap the benefits.