Quarterback Derek Carr to Meet With Carolina Panthers

Former Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr will have no shortage of suitors this offseason. According to the Associated Press's Steve Reed, Carr will meet with the Carolina Panthers at the NFL combine this week to discuss the possibility of joining the team.

AP source: Panthers to meet with QB Derek Carr at combine (from @AP) https://t.co/uCoFnpfZdv
— Steve Reed (@SteveReedAP) February 28, 2023

Carr has already held multiple meetings with teams since being released by the Raiders, including with the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets.

Carr could drastically alter the fortunes of the Panthers, who finished the 2022 regular season 7-10 despite starting four different quarterbacks on their way to the 29th-most passing yards in the league. Carr is a four-time Pro Bowler and has appeared in 142 of a possible 146 games since being drafted 36th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Carr's career numbers (248.0 passing yards per game, 91.8 passer rating, .444 winning percentage) don't place him among the NFL's truly elite, but quarterback play must always be contextualized by surrounding talent. Whether Carr's offenses overperformed or underperformed is open to interpretation, but there should be little doubt he would make a quantifiable difference on the league's worst passing attacks. With him on their roster, the Panthers could very well become instant favorites to win the NFC South.