INDIANAPOLIS — Robert Saleh sounds like he is a big fan of Derek Carr.
The Jets coach spoke about the free-agent quarterback in a Zoom call with reporters on Thursday and heaped praise on the former Raiders signal-caller.
“He’s got an elite, elite mental makeup with regards to football IQ,” Saleh said. “He’s got tremendous accuracy and arm strength. He can put the ball anywhere you want. He’s underrated in terms of [as a] scrambler and being able to move out of the pocket and all that stuff.”
The Jets met with Carr last month in New Jersey and again on Wednesday here at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Saleh was not part of the meeting on Wednesday because he said an illness prevented him from flying here.
Jets owner Woody Johnson was involved in the meeting on Wednesday.
Saleh compared Carr to Matthew Stafford, who put up good statistics in Detroit for years but did not have a good team around him – then went to the Rams and won a Super Bowl.
The Jets feel a quarterback is the missing piece from their team being a contender.
“He’s been asked to do a lot in his career,” Saleh said. “I think he’s more in line with what Stafford’s career has been. If you can just get him to a place that can surround him with all the pieces to just allow him to play quarterback 10-15 times a game, it would be pretty cool. He’s a solid young man.”
The Jets are trying to stay patient as they wait for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers to make his decision on whether he wants to retire and, if not, if he wants to move on from Green Bay.
If Rodgers is on the trading block, the Jets will be at the front of the line.
But Carr is a solid Plan B for the Jets.
The question is, how long do they wait for Rodgers if Carr decides he wants to get something done?
So far, Carr has also been deliberate about his process.
Things should heat up next week with the free agency negotiating window opening on March 13.
“As a coach, you always want it done yesterday. But we appreciate everyone’s process,” Saleh said. “We appreciate how everybody is going about it. We appreciate the time everyone needs. We’re being deliberate in our process and making sure we’re taking care of our stuff but also being mindful and respectful of other people.”
On another quarterback front, Saleh indicated the Jets would like to bring back free agent Mike White, who started four games for the Jets last year.
“He should be on this roster also,” Saleh said. “We carried three [quarterbacks] last year. Again, he’s going through his process and it’s just something we’re keeping close tabs on.”
It is hard to see how White would fit with the Jets and why he would want to return.
The Jets are going to sign or trade for a big-money quarterback to be the starter and they are keeping Zach Wilson.
White surely can find a better situation in free agency where he is the clear cut backup.
As for free agency, Saleh said the Jets will be “judicious” and look to add on offense but try to keep their own on defense.
“There’s certain places where we need to improve on,” Saleh said. “Obviously, the Draft is going to give us some of those opportunities, too. The quarterback position [is a need], like we talked about. As far as defense, we’ll see if we can run it back with the guys we have and the offensively see if we can be judicious in our approach.”