Urgent Raiders Issues #4: QB Here is the Latest
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HENDERSON, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders are roaring toward the February deadline in which they have to either trade Derek Carr or cut him.
There is no doubt that the most critical position on the football field is the quarterback, and the Raiders have no defined field general on the roster.
In this series of articles on the five most significant issues facing the Las Vegas Raiders, we focus on number four: the quarterback position.
I was the first to report that the Raiders were moving on from Derek Carr and that they would bench him for the final two games of the 2022 season. They did that.
But the team is in a very precarious position. The Raiders have to either cut Derek Carr or find a trading partner they trust, and are willing to wait for the said partner to consummate the deal when free agency opens on March 15. As mentioned, the team must find a suitable trading partner by Feb. 15 or release Carr.
Carr was named earlier today to the NFL Pro Bowl, but the Raiders and Carr have moved on.
So what do the Raiders do next at quarterback?
Tom Brady could have been the next quarterback of the Las Vegas Raiders, but he announced his retirement on Wednesday, and that leaves the Raiders be in a complicated place.
Aaron Rodgers is a viable option, but I have previously written about the baggage he brings.
Lamar Jackson is one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL, but he doesn’t fit the system that Coach Josh McDaniels runs. It would be a significant seismic shift in the scheme. While Jackson would be great for the franchise, would McDaniels be here to coach him over a long time? It would require the entire franchise to change direction, and with McDaniels knowing that 2023 cannot look like 2022 or he won’t get 2024, that is an all-in move.
If the Raiders were to add Jimmy Garoppolo, that move would make sense since he knows the Josh McDaniels system. Unlike Brady, it would not be a short-term move due to Garoppolo being younger.
But on a practical level, adding Garoppolo would make zero sense.
While Garoppolo is a tremendous person and player, he is essentially Derek Carr with one major exception. Unlike Carr, Garoppolo is consistently injured, and Carr is consistently available.
If the Raiders fall in love with a rookie, they certainly have a decent draft spot should one be available at No. 7 overall. They could move up, or if they fell in love with another player available later, make that selection.
According to multiple people around the NFL, Josh McDaniels has made it clear that he wants a proven veteran next season.
If the Raiders go with a rookie, that is a clear indication that they are in a rebuilding situation, something that Mark Davis, Dave Ziegler, and McDaniels have vehemently denied.
Waving the white flag and moving on to a rebuild would stir up massive issues in the locker room, and even with the franchise rolling in cash from the success of Allegiant Stadium, a departure of Davante Adams and the signaling of a rebuild would further alienate an owner from a disgusted fan base.
A rookie they could sell Adams on would make that move significantly more palatable.
So what is next in the Derek Carr sweepstakes?
My colleague Albert Breer reported correctly on Monday: “My understanding as of right now is the Raiders have not granted Carr’s camp the ability to seek a trade. And even though there are the aforementioned teams out there with needs, dealing him before the February 15 deadline—when his $32.9 million base for next year and $7.5 million of his 2024 money vests as fully guaranteed—won’t be easy. And he won’t be on the Raiders’ roster past that date, so there is the idea that teams interested in him should just wait for Las Vegas to cut him.”
So why haven’t the Raiders allowed Carr’s camp to seek out a trade? The answer is simple.
If teams talk to the Carr camp for a trade without the blessing of Ziegler, they would be tampering.
The Raiders know that they have to make a decision or cut him, but they don’t want Carr’s camp negotiating with a team and the risk of a deal being cut that tells Derek to wait and let the Raiders cut him, and we will sign you.
The market is in flux right now. There is a market for Carr, that is without question, but with his deal from Las Vegas predicated on a hard Feb. 15 number, teams know that and are waiting to see what happens to Rodgers, and Lamar Jackson.
By not letting Carr’s camp seek a trade, the Raiders know that Carr can say no to anything and that is the risk they take. They gave him this deal, never thinking this was going to happen.
Both parties have leverage; Carr has more.
This series of articles is about the five most pressing issues the Raiders must address. I said late last season that Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler had better have a plan in place before letting Carr go. I believe they do, but we shall see.
There are not many better options than Carr; there are some, but not a lot. If entering 2023, the Raiders fail to stabilize the quarterback spot, a second-year coach and general manager will have a lot to explain to an owner with a proven track record of firing coaches.
Latest Odd?
Tom Brady was 100 percent, if he wanted it.
With Brady out:
Jimmy Garoppolo 45 percent
Aaron Rodgers 25 perccent
A rookie 25 percent
Lamar Jackson 5 percent
The NFL Scouting Combine is Feb. 28-March 6, 2023, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. On March 7, 2023, before 4 p.m. EST, is the club's deadline to designate Franchise or Transition Players.
March 13-15 is the free agent negotiation period. During that time, starting at 12 p.m. EST on March 13 and ending at 3:59:59 p.m. EST on March 15, clubs are permitted to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expiration of their 2022 Player Contracts at 4 p.m EST on March 15.
The 2023 NFL Year and Free Agency period begins at 4 p.m. EST on March 15. The Raiders are expected to be significant players in the free-agent market this season.
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