The quarterback carousel is going to be a wild one this offseason. Going into next month, as many as 20 teams could be looking to change their quarterback this offseason.
With high-profile quarterbacks such as Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson possibly wanting to be traded, it could make the market even crazier than usual.
So where do the Raiders fall in the quarterback market?
Well, Derek Carr has just one year left on his deal and a new head coach has entered the picture. The belief is that Josh McDaniels took the job to work with Carr, but anything is possible.
In a recent article by ESPN’s 32 beat writers, they simulated the 2022 offseason to see what each team would do at quarterback. In this simulation, the Raiders traded Derek Carr to the Washington Commanders for a 2022 first-round pick (along with a conditional fourth-round selection).
Here is senior writer Paul Gutierrez on why that trade might make some sense for the Raiders this offseason:
“While Raiders owner Mark Davis said Las Vegas was not in a rebuild or a reload after hiring new coach Josh McDaniels, it is a fresh start. And if the Raiders could get an immediate first-rounder for Carr, who is in need of an extension, as well as a potential third-rounder next year to quicken said fresh start, what’s the debate?”
In this simulation, the Raiders signed Marcus Mariota to a two-year deal (with $14 million guaranteed) and used the extra draft capital and cap space to improve the defense.
While this isn’t a bad thought or outcome, it would still be far from ideal for the Raiders. There isn’t a quarterback in this class that would be an upgrade over Carr and intentionally downgrading at quarterback seems like a bad idea for a team that just made the playoffs.
While this was an excellent article and a fun exercise, it still doesn’t feel likely that the Raiders will trade Derek Carr this offseason. The only possible way would be if a team blew the Raiders away with an offer that was too good to pass on. But since that isn’t likely, expect Carr to be back in 2022 and beyond.
