Despite all the offseason optimism, Justin Fields hasn’t turned into the long-term answer the New York Jets hoped they were getting. Calling him a bridge quarterback at this point might even feel generous. With the way this season has unfolded, it’s hard to see him in New York next year. And now, the rumor mill is tying the Jets to a quarterback who isn’t even in the league right now.

According to those whispers, the Jets could poke around on Derek Carr if he decides to come out of retirement next year. But is that really the direction they want to go?

Carr didn’t walk away because he lost interest. He had a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder and significant wear in his rotator cuff. Betting on a 34-year-old with that medical history after a full year away would carry real risk, especially for a franchise that has spent the better part of a decade cycling through quarterbacks.

And yes, before he retired, Carr was still playing well enough. He had 15 touchdowns and a 101 passer rating in 10 games in 2024. But there’s no telling whether he’d be the same player now. If the Jets are trying to build something stable, this would be a swing with a lot of “ifs.”

Carr himself made it clear how emotionally and physically draining the decision to retire was.

“It wasn’t easy, I promise. It was hard. When I talked to my wife, she was ready for me to be done whenever I was ready. She saw things that no one else saw. You know, waking up on Monday mornings, and I can’t walk, and I have to call her to get me out of bed. She was done,” Carr said.

His wife, Heather, ultimately pushed him to step away. He listened and left more than $30 million on the table. And the couple just announced they’re expecting another child, which probably nudges him even further from the idea of a return.

Maybe the Jets do admire Carr, and they’re exploring all possibilities. But the reality is simple: they need a quarterback for the next decade, not just the next season.

The Jets need a quarterback for the future

The Justin Fields experiment in New York is officially over. Jets coach Aaron Glenn has finally made the move many expected weeks ago, benching Fields for veteran Tyrod Taylor, now 36. The real surprise isn’t the switch; it’s that Glenn kept riding with Fields as long as he did.

He sits 30th out of 33 qualified passers in Total QBR at 37.7, with just seven touchdown passes, 1,259 yards, and a single interception. His best work has come on the ground, where he’s second on the team with 383 rushing yards and leads the Jets with four rushing scores. His legs have always been good, but the same can’t be said about his passing game.

New York rolled the dice on Fields. Now they’ll have to roll it again. The trouble is, this coming offseason doesn’t offer a clean veteran solution. There’s a world where Kyler Murray is available, and maybe Joe Flacco or even Mac Jones hit the market, but none of those names guarantee long-term stability. The route forward is clear.

The trades involving Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams quietly stocked the cupboard: two first-rounders in 2026 and three more in 2027. That’s the kind of capital teams usually assemble when they’re planning to draft their next quarterback and build around him. That’s their clearest path to a real franchise quarterback and a real reset.

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