Carr has indeed been a good football player, but he’s no longer good enough for the Raiders’ long-term plans. Be it a lack of consistency or a poor fit with head coach Josh McDaniels, Carr never quite found his stride in their first season working together in 2022, finishing with his worst passer rating since his rookie season of 2014. The addition of Carr’s old college teammate and close friend, receiver Davante Adams, produced a 1,500-yard, 14-touchdown season, but didn’t open up the Raiders’ offense enough to propel Las Vegas back to the postseason.
Sensing the need to move in a different direction, McDaniels pulled the parachute early by benching Carr in favor of backup Jarrett Stidham. Soon, the Raiders will be tasked with finding a viable replacement for Carr.
But first, they’ll need to find a trade partner for their longtime QB.
Carr signed a three-year, $120.5 million extension with the Raiders last April, securing his services with the team beyond the 2022 season while also providing Las Vegas with an exit route if necessary. The Raiders have since deemed it as such and will carry less than $6 million in dead cap depending on the timing of a move.
They can part with Carr via trade, but could also cut him if they can’t field a legitimate offer. The latter scenario seems less likely, especially when considering the need for starter-level talent at the position elsewhere.
A number of teams — the New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers, just to name a few — could be dialing Ziegler soon enough.
“Derek’s a phenomenal player, too, and a phenomenal human being,” Ziegler said. “Obviously, we have some things some dominoes to fall, and some things that we have to look at relative to his situation and our quarterback situation going forward in ’23. But no position is as important as the quarterback position. You all know that, everybody knows that. So we’re gonna be putting a lot of work in on that front and kind of see how it all plays out here.”
Last offseason included a number of significant moves at the position in what proved to be a wild offseason of change. Considering the talent expected to be available, this offseason could be even crazier.
Carr will be among the headlining players anticipated to be on the move. We’ll see who presents an offer to Ziegler in the weeks ahead.
Image & Story Credit: nfl.com