Saints QB Derek Carr talks nearly taking Aaron Rodgers' spot on Jets

In an alternate timeline, perhaps New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr is the starter for the New York Jets, leaving Aaron Rodgers traded elsewhere.

Carr just appeared on the Pardon My Take podcast and revealed that after visiting the Saints in free agency, he met with the Jets and had a chance to sign there.

“I could’ve (signed with the Jets), it just wasn’t the right time for me,” Carr said (h/t Joey Aliberti of Gulf Live). “There was still like four or five teams I had to hear from.”

Carr went on to stress that he wanted to make the rounds before making a decision. Yet the pull of the Jets was strong, in part because his brother, David, had nothing but good things to say after his own time spent with Jets head coach Robert Saleh.

“I am probably like (Saleh’s) biggest fan,” Carr said. “Like I absolutely 10/10 would run through a wall for him even if he’s not my coach. If he was like ‘I need you to do this’ yes sir, I would do it. That whole situation, that was the hardest thing. Because my brother knew coach Saleh and he knew I loved New Orleans but he was like ‘You’re gonna see Saleh, you’re probably gonna stay.’ He was thinking I was going to sign because of Saleh.”

Carr wound up signing with the Saints in March of 2023 on a four-year pact worth $150 million, while roughly a month later, the Jets struck the trade for Aaron Rodgers.

In his first season with the team, Carr completed 68.4 percent of his passes for 3,878 yards and 25 touchdowns against eight interceptions while the team went 9-8. Rodgers suffered the quick injury and the Jets went 7-10.

Clearly, both quarterbacks still have much to prove with their new teams.