Will the Carolina Panthers even get to their second talk with Derek Carr on Monday? Not if the New Orleans Saints have anything to do with it.
On Wednesday, ESPN senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler was featured on The Official Jets Podcast from the combine in Indianapolis—where Carr has been a pretty hot topic of discussion. When asked by host Eric Allen where he thinks the free-agent quarterback currently stands on a decision, Fowler said the Saints are itching for a signature.
“I’ve even talked to some teams who wonder if Carr wants to go to the NFC just ’cause it’s a little bit easier path. Less of a quarterback pantheon, so to speak,” he suggested. “You don’t have Mahomes, Burrow, Herbert, Josh Allen—all those guys. It might be a path of least resistance to win.
“So that would bring Carolina into the mix ’cause they have a talented roster if they wanna go that route. Saints—it’s my understanding they wanna get something done with Derek Carr. Like, they’re ready to do that.
“So, he has options. I get the sense that he’s just sorta waiting it out patiently so that that second team can get heavily involved, along with the Saints, and then you have more leverage.”
While Fowler wisely opines that Carr may be using the Panthers as leverage, perhaps it’s actually a two-way street. Maybe the Panthers, who seem more intent on drafting and developing a quarterback and pairing him with a cheaper veteran, are using Carr to heighten the price for their NFC South rivals.
Either way, it feels like we’ll have to wait a little bit more on Carr and his choice.
