Derek Carr Meeting with Jets "Very Positive"

 According to reports on Monday, the meeting between the brass of the New York Jets and free agent quarterback Derek Carr was "very positive and went well" per Jeff Darlington.

“I’m told that it was a very positive meeting, that the Jets really believe that Derek Carr is the type of quarterback that can lead them to a potential championship,” Darlington said during the segment on ESPN.

The question is what will the Jets do? They could sign Carr, or wait out Aaron Rodgers to make up his mind. Rodgers is apparently in a four-days of darkness retreat. The Packers are reportedly fed up with Rodgers and his nonsense and want to move on with back-up Jordan Love.

If the Jets wait on Rodgers, they could risk losing Carr, who will cost them nothing except a long-term contract, to someone else like New Orleans or Carolina.

If the Jets traded for Rodgers they would risk losing multiple draft picks for a nearly 40-year old quarterback.

 Should Gang Green miss out on both Carr and Rodgers, they will have to look seriously at the likes of Jimmy Garrapolo, Ryan Tannehill, or perhaps swallow their pride and give the starting job back to Zach Wilson.

Bottom line is the Jets need to get this done with Carr. He is one of the league's top quarterbacks -- even if he hasn't won a playoff game in his career. 

He has thrown for over 4,000 yards in four consecutive seasons from 2017-2021, and was a three-time Pro Bowler when Todd Downing -- now the Jets passing game coordinator -- was the Raiders O.C. 

He's a good character guy, who fits the mold of player Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh look for, and would end the Jets quarterback drama for at least the next four years. 

Waiting for Rodgers to make up is mind is a fools errand. Rodgers holds all the cards, and he is holding Green Bay hostage. The Jets would be smart to avoid that circus at all costs. 

Don't wait, sign Carr.

Daniel Jones Switches Agents, Might Want Mega Millions

While a lot of attention so far this NFL off-season has been on quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers, Derek Carr and Jimmy G, nobody thought Daniel Jones’ name would enter the fray of drama. That’s because many assumed it was fait accompli that Jones and the New York Giants would come to terms on a long term deal.

 

Well, reports came out of Pro Football Talk that Jones had switched agencies from CAA to Athletes First. Many expect this to mean that Jones is looking for a very lucrative contract that could pay him upwards of $45 million a year.

Do the Giants bite? Do they franchise tag him? Do they let him walk away?

The Giants could slap the franchise tag on Jones, which would pay him $32.416 million this upcoming year, and force any team that matches or exceeds that contract to send the Giants a pair of first round draft picks.

According to PFT the window to apply for the tag opens Wednesday, and will have two weeks to slap the tag on Jones.

See more from my post on Fox Sports New Jersey. 

Derek Carr Visiting Jets This Weekend

 Former Raiders quarterback Derek Carr has reportedly spend the weekend in New Jersey interviewing the Jets about their starting quarterback position. 

It will be intriguing to see if Carr takes a liking to the Jets and vice versa. Carr is seven years younger than Aaron Rodgers, another target the Jets are looking at, and would give the Jets one of the game's more prolific passers, should he sign here. 

The Packers are reportedly through with Rodgers, and want to move on. Who can blame them when the guy is stringing things out with this ridiculous four-day retreat into darkness. 

 Carr would give the Jets instant credibility. It would also put Zach Wilson's future into total flux. The Jets say they won't trade him, but if Carr is here, it's hard to make the case to keep Wilson around. We shall see. 

If the Jets strike out on both Carr and Rodgers, get ready for Plan's B and Plan's C, i.e. Jimmy Garrapolo and Ryan Tannehill, which in all honestly considering this is the Jets we are talking about here, is the most likely final scenario that will play out when things are all said and done. 

Check out my podcast for Fox Sports New Jersey where I talk to Dan Feuerstein about this situation.

Ryan Tannehill Another Name to Look Out for with Jets

 If things go south for the New York Jets in their pursuit for either Aaron Rodgers and Derek Carr. And knowing Jets history why would anything go south? (insert sarcasm). There is a back-up to the back-up option potentially out there in Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill. 

I know Jets fans, you're winching as you think about this. 

That of course all hinges on if the Titans decide to move on from Tannehill, who will be 35 and could save Tennessee upwards of $27 million if he is waived or traded after June 1. 

Plus new Titans GM Ran Carthon has been mum on the idea of a Tannehill return in 2023. That said, when the Titans hired Tim Kelly to be their new offensive coordinator, Head Coach Mike Vrabel said that Tannehill was excited by the move, hinting that the veteran quarterback was at least aware of the process. 

Tannehill is a serviceable veteran. He took the Titans to the playoffs multiple times; even went to an AFC title game a few years ago. That said, it helps when you have a monster like Derrick Henry in the backfield. 

If Tannehill landed in New York, he would clearly be a stop gap until the Jets feel the cobwebs are clear in the mind of Zach Wilson, and/or the Jets find a new quarterback via the draft. 

The Jets could also look toward Jimmy Garrappolo who is a free agent, and wouldn't cost the Jets anything except money. Garrappolo knows the Jets system fairly well having worked with Robert Saleh in San Francisco. 

Meanwhile, the Raiders have already released Derek Carr, who is also said to be of interest to the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers. 

As for Aaron Rodgers, he still hasn't gone into his so-called darkness retreat as he continues to string everyone along. 

 

Hell, if all else fails, the Jets could end up with Andy Dalton. 

Keep smiling Jets fans.

Rejoice: 2023 Spring Training Has Arrived for Mets and Yankees

 Yes, it has been a rather winter-less winter in 2022-23, but just the very thought of warmer weather, sunny skies, the sounds of baseballs hitting leather, and the crack of the bat is enough to make one’s heart flutter with excitement. 

 

2022 was a good year to be a baseball fan in the New York/New Jersey market. The Mets and Yankees both had outstanding seasons, and barring any unforeseen injuries, both clubs should be in the mix again this year. 

Read the full story with slide show on Fox Sports New Jersey!! 

Could the New York Jets Pursue Derek Carr??

 As I wrote for Fox Sports New Jersey...

The New York Jets are in a seemingly never ending search for that “franchise quarterback.”

After the flaming out of Zach Wilson this past season, and rampant speculation that the Jets are linked to Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Jets could be linked to another quarterback as well.

According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the Jets were one of two teams to have inquired with the Las Vegas Raiders about a trade. The other team being the New Orleans Saints.

As has been reported, Carr refused to accept a trade to the Saints, although Breer reported that his meeting with New Orleans went well. Carr is close with Saints head coach Dennis Allen — the man that drafted Carr when the Raiders played in Oakland.

Carr would rather go the free agent route, and the Raiders are expected to release the quarterback on Tuesday.

That means Carr will be free to sign wherever he likes, and the Jets — if they are indeed interested and don’t want to wait around for Aaron Rodgers to make up his mind from his so-called four days of darkness, better put a full court press together.

Derek Jeter Heads to Fox Sports

 Derek Jeter will go to bat for a new team in 2023. 

The longtime Yankees Captain and Hall of Famer was announced as the newest member of the Fox Sports Major League Baseball coverage during Fox's Super Bowl pregame show. 

 

Curt Menefee made the announcement as Jeter joined fellow ex-Yankee Alex Rodriguez and New York Giants Hall of Famer Michael Strahan. 

Jeter will likely join Fox's front desk that includes Rodriguez and former Red Sox rival, David "Big Papi" Oritz. 

Jeter has been more visible lately since giving up on his front office position with the Miami Marlins, which included his return to Yankee Stadium last season to celebrate his Hall of Fame enshrinement.

Carlos Beltran Back with the Mets

 As the old Eminem song once sang, "Guess who's back? Back again! Guess who's back? Guess who's back? Guess who's back?" 

Ah, yes, Carlos Beltran is indeed back with the New York Mets. 

Beltran has dumped his gig as a broadcaster with the Yankees and rejoined the Mets in a front office role under GM Billy Eppler. What exactly Beltran's role will be was undisclosed, but it will be some form of a special assistant. 

 

That's nice. 

Good for Carlos to get back into the game of baseball. He is by many accounts a bright baseball mind. However he did get himself in a slew of trouble, and cost himself the Mets managerial job before the 2020 season when he was found to be involved in the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal. 

Perhaps Carlos has humbled himself a bit the last three years out of baseball. He did do Yankees games on occasion last year for the YES Network, mostly to negative reviews. For Beltran's sake, hopefully a return to the Mets is a return to prominence in the game.

Nets Deal Unhappy Irving to Mavs

 Kyrie Irving wanted out, and the Brooklyn Nets finally obliged.

After failing to come to terms on a long term deal, Irving demanded on Friday that he be traded.

By Sunday afternoon, the Nets finally did the deed, trading the troubled star point guard to the Dallas Mavericks for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finley-Smith, an unprotected first round pick in 2029; and second round picks in 2027 and '29. Markieff Morris also went in the deal from the Nets to the Mavericks.

The move is a solid one for the Nets, who rid themselves of a player who created more drama off the court than on it.

From injuries, to refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, to posting links to an antisemitic book and film -- which led to a subsequent eight game suspension, Irving's stay in Brooklyn was not a good one.

A year ago the Nets had Irving, James Harden and Kevin Durant on their roster. Now all they are left with is Durant, who already made trade demands last summer. Durant who is out with an MCL Sprain for the second straight year, will be a player to watch come the off-season to see if the Nets try to move him in their rebuild.

Give the Nets and Sean Marks credit. They didn't let a superstar player control them for too much longer. Irving's antics, his odd behavior, and certainly the controversy he carried with him was like a bad fungus. The Nets had to get him out of town, and when he demanded a trade, he made it even easier for them. 

Good on the Nets for hitting the reset button. Dinwiddie was a good player here when he was a Net, and those draft picks could come of good use down the road. 

The next thing Sean Marks must do is dump Durant and let the full rebuild begin.