What is going on with Derek Carr?
Do the Raiders want to trade him or not?
After weeks of rumors and speculation on Tom Brady, it’s fair if you are still wondering what the Raiders plan is at quarterback. Jon Gruden may not be hanging up on trade offers for Carr, but so far the whispers out of Indianapolis are that the Raiders are not trying to move him – in fact, those were even Mike Mayock’s words to the media on Tuesday.
If that’s the case, why not just say “Derek is our quarterback” and if an offer comes through that you can’t turn down, just make the trade and say “we got an offer we couldn’t turn down”?
Gruden apparently won’t be having an official media session this week in Indianapolis, but if he wanted to squash the quarterback rumors, it wouldn’t be hard. And yes, he could absolutely still have conversations with teams about trading Carr. Anyone willing to give a high pick for Carr isn’t going to be deterred from calling by the fact that the Raiders publicly endorsed him.
Maybe there is a strategic reason for why the Raiders won’t declare Carr the starter.
Maybe they think it will help them in free agency or the draft.
But even that is a stretch. No team in the draft cares what the Raiders say about Carr. They know Gruden might draft a quarterback at any time. Obviously the Raiders have a plan that they’re executing when it comes to speaking on Carr’s status, but it doesn’t completely make sense… no matter what their big picture plan happens to be.
twitter: @raidersbeat
I really wish that the beat writers knew more about football and the NFL business. This click bate is old, tired and rehashed. Obviously the Raiders are not going to say that they are set in ANY position. Why wold they?
This is the silliest article so far. They would LOVE for teams to pick QB’s earlier than what they wanted or even move up in the draft, worried about what might or might not happen with Carr. It allows the Raiders to get the WR and LB that they are after. Also, if they could help Brady out by forcing the Pats to put out a couple more million for an old QB that is NOT going anywhere, that is less cash that the Pats have to spend elsewhere. The same with other teams.
For all you new sports writers – this is the season of deception. If a team told you that they were for sure trading a player…. they probably are not. If they say that they are 100% solid behind a player – he’s probably gone already.
They lie, they misdirect and they fake. Don’t think that you are the only ones with clear goggles in the room seeing the obvious cheese that all us other mice avoid. It’s a trap.
Now I dont need to write what you just said. It’s spot on.
It’s 100% in the Raiders best interest to have everyone else guessing. It improves valuations of QBs in the draft, increases free agent spend by other teams, and also gives the Raiders Intel on what other teams are valuing Carr at by not declaring that they aren’t interested in offers.
And who knows? Everything has its price. If they are offered a deal they can’t refuse, they can always pull the trigger.
The Patriots have a way of knowing when to let players go that have had enough. I think they may move on unless Brady decides he will stay. My only hope is the Raiders dont blow a bunch of money on a guy that will be worse than Carr. I.E. Brady, or Rivers. Carr deserves one more year with some decent WR’s and a defense that doesnt allow 30 pts a game..
Let him go.
Maybe we can let YOU go. Back to the Broncos?
If for some reason, Carr is traded, and a year or two we’re watching him lead another team to the Super Bowl, I’d like to personally **** on each and everyone if you Carr haters’ heads.
Carr winning a Super Bowl? Gtfoh 😂 his career record against playoff teams is 4-33 and he can’t play in cold weather (just look at his QBR and record).
Carr is Reggie mckenzie’s QB. Gruden wants his own hand picked QB. Not that hard to figure out.
Maybe that’s true but the reason Carr is the Raiders QB is that they can’t find anyone better. That’s how good he is. Brady or Rivers? These rumors make me laugh. Dump a QB entering his prime on a good contract for someone on their last leg on a worse contract. Yeah Gruden and Mayock are that stupid. Carr will eventually get replaced but since Gannons don’t come around often it will probably be by a draft pick, not FA. When will that be? Somewhere between now and 2030. Remember it will take a year or two behind Carr for any QB to grasp Gruden’s offense and Gruden has never started rookies.
If that is the case, Carr would already be wearing a different jersey…
You guys make me laugh. Whatever the Raiders are planning is Raiders business. They are not required to settle every rumor the media starts. How about you guys stick to writing the Facts and stop starting rumors?
They would be dumb to trade car they should allways look to upgrade every position if they can i just dont see a lot of upgrades build the team you allready have a quarterback so give him weapons and build the damb defence
This time of year it’s best to let everyone else, who doesn’t need to know, think what they want. Confirming anything only hurts your bargaining ability.
I feel they want to create competition for DC. Someone to back him up or replace him him after they learn Grudens offense.
They need to declare him the starter. He deserves to know either way.
I think Derek has been told already! Smoke and mirrors, he will be the QB in Vegas, period… I look forward to the games, just saving money now for the night before and after! Geez…RAIDER NATION!
You, just like the rest of the doofus media, are being played like a violin. Whatever Gruden and Mayock’s plans are won’t be revealed until the move is made. With two first round picks in the top twenty they can do whatever they like, especially with a top ten (statistically) QB in his prime to sweeten any potential deal. Wake up. News flash, Al Davis is dead. Gruden and Mayock aren’t going to sign Brady, Rivers or anybody else that doesn’t make the Raiders demonstrably better over the long term than Carr. They have many more, and graver, deficiencies on defense than at QB.
Exactly
You are not a good listener
What a contradictory post ! Smh
Meybe RAIDERS plan on keeping Carr imagine Carr still on the roster and signing Brady so Brady can start for 1-2 yrs Carr can learn more from Brady than anyone can you ? think about what any team would give for that toolidge what QB wouldn’t give to learn from the goat
Yeah right, how about wrapping up $50M in one position so that one of the smartest QBs running one of the most complex systems in the league can suddenly sit on the bench because he hasn’t learned enough.
What will Carr learn from Brady? How to scramble more? Nope. How to get away with deflated balls so he can throw in the cold? I guess there’s some value there maybe.
Ummm don’t think that scenario is happening cause then you would have just over 50 million tied up in the #1 and #2 QB’s when on defense we need that money to put together a decent defense to back up the offence!
Derek car Is the best chance to win we have and he is a great guy and team mate .His play this year was great for have no real treats at wr or running back to worry about in last few games .with a wr1 and more experience from slot and tight end he will be fine and hopefully defense upgrade that will be a huge help he only one player can’t put blame all on him
Derek as a fellow Christian I hope is the Quarterback in 2020. He needs another receiver in his arsenal poses blazing speed. He’ll throw for over 5,000 yards.
I am burnt out on this story already. For me it’s now a whatever happens, happens mode. My final take for what it’s worth is Carr stays gets an upgrade at reciever to go along with Hunter Renfrow’s growth in the system and possibly Williams returning to what was supposed to be a very good #2 but not to good to be a #1
I’ve loved Raiders as long as I can remember but this organization doesn’t seem to have a clear idea of what they’re doing. I only hope home games in Las Vegas don’t turn out to be packed with visiting team fans
Well they did ., Mike Mayock came out to say the Raiders are not actively pursuing a trade for Carr . But evaluating every position … Kind of a canned response but what else is there this time of year …
Exactly what I was thinking
I don’t not think Carr is the long term answer. He’s inconsistent against division rivals. Problem is unless they can get Burrow or Tua (which they can’t) there’s no one that can step in and take his place. Teddy Bridgwater maybe.. Carr will be here
I would imagine they are shopping Carr and talking to Brady. If they could Get Brady for 2 years draft Eason or Love as an understudy. And they got a second-rounder for Carr that would be Raider heaven.
I think that if they really thought they could find someone that was head and shoulders above Carr, they would pull the trigger in a heartbeat, but they wouldn’t be spreading their intentions all over the place. Trouble is, there is no one who fits that description that isn’t already under contract for someone else. I think you keep Carr, build the defense and get him a couple more weapons. If his level of play stagnates, cut him at the end of his contract. He’s only one player. Quarterbacks don’t win or lose games, teams do.
The team is approaching this professionally. They cannot show their hand, nor should they. That would weaken potential trades of draft picks or personnel. At the same time, since Carr isn’t an unquestionable top five or so QB in the league, they must keep doing their due diligence and working their situation and their roster day-to-day.
Let’s review some major points that probably factor into those ongoing considerations.
Carr Pros:
(1) Carr is solid (though not elite).
(2) He has a good contract.
(3) When healthy and able to benefit from good performances from his other teammates, he was capable of having a MVP-contention caliber season.
Carr Cons:
(4) Carr hasn’t been able to win a playoff game.
(5) As noted before, he’s not elite. In other situations, that might be more acceptable. However, being in a division with arguably the best QB in the league, your QB has to be able to match up well to slug it out in divisional and playoff games. This makes the clock keep ticking on Carr unless he can show out well again, and soon.
(6) Carr hasn’t been as dynamic after suffering through some injury issues and there’s the unknown question as to how much those affected him recently, and whether they still affect or hang over him, or whether he is now more ready to rebound with some pop and should have the chance to show that.
Carr Mitigating Factors:
(7) He has seen little stability in coaching and playbook.
(8) His supporting cast has often been inconsistent, even when pretty solid on paper.
Other Factors:
(9) It’s going to be the first year in the new city. There may be pressure for making a splash, even if it is risky, over staying a stable course.
(10) There is more more QB movement involving more notable QB options than in any offseason in memory. That means that there are a lot of options to evaluate and that things won’t clear up more until some of the players and teams involved make major moves or trades. The holding pattern is stacked and it’ll be a while before the Raider QB plane gets to come in for a firm landing.
(11) There are some decent QBs in this draft but they should not be on the board when the Raiders first come up, and are probably not worth the treasure it would take to go after them because of question marks (injury, brief resumes, inconsistency, etc.).
(12) The Raiders should be very cautious about making a move to just to make a move. Unless we’re talking about next year with Trevor Lawrence possibly in play, I wouldn’t spend the draft capital on a riskier QB unless they dropped to me or very, very near me in this draft. That’s still unlikely to happen all the same, due top the high value and extreme need that teams have when it comes to the QB position. But the Raiders aren’t beggars here. The do have a good QB. Any developmental option should be there later, but those would not be reasons to move on from a solid starter anytime soon either.
So… What are the takeaways?
IF I were the Raiders, I’d plan to keep Carr, but see what else what out there too, as well as what he could possibly net them in return, and if there was not a clear, actionable option involving those variables, then stay the course with him while keeping eyes and ears open. And that appears to be the approach that they are taking.
This has to be hard on Carr, but it’s part of the burden you have to shoulder when you get paid to be the starting QB for a NFL team. Part of how he can show value is to do as he has and just focus on his offseason. If he stays, moves, or becomes a backup, he has to be ready to play as best he can and to be professional as per the expectations of both the position and his salary, which is no meager paycheck no matter how you slice it.
If there’s a great trade offer and it enables the team to go after other trades or have more in the bank for next year, that might move the chains.
If there’s a solid QB option they feel better trying and they can get value for Carr with which to further build the team, that might move the chains.
If there’s a young QB that they like that falls to them in the draft, they could draft him and keep Carr, following the Brady/Garrappolo model set by New England, where they see how things play out later.
Maybe they just draft a developmental backup and the question is shelved for another season.
But there is NO single situational answer at this point. There won’t be any for a while. And the Raiders have to keep watching the wheel spin before they decide where to place their bets.
All we as fans can do is appreciate all of the angles they have to constantly evaluate, and watch with anticipation to see where they stake their claim and where the ball actually bounces to a stop when the next season has played itself out
At the least, it’s very suspenseful!
Here’s hoping the Las Vegas Raiders break the bank on their first try!
#4 above: I dont remember Carr ever being in a playoff game so how would he win one? Otherwise I like many ofyour thoughts. The only guy available at QB that might be worth bringing in would be Mariota. He would come fairly cheap and is still young enough to have an upside. The rest of them will get stupid money or wouldnt be worth it due to injury issues or simply no better than Carr. Unless they want to give up all draft pics for next couple of years I dont see them landing Burrow this year or Lawrence for next year. I personally cant wait for Gruden to be gone. His ego doesnt allow him to make good decisions. I wish he didnt have any input in the draft and let Mayock run it all. Hes not perfect but has shown he knows talent better than Chucky. Unless they are telling Carr behind the scenes that this BS is all window dressing I think I would ask to be traded if I were Carr. He wrongfully is taking a lot of BS for an offense that the coach runs and a almost league worst defense.In the end if the Raiders are smart they keep Carr another year, give him some WR’s that can get open and catch and build more defense. Dont waste a pic this year on a QB. There just isnt starter material once you get past the top 3 seemingly.
Raiders will try and follow the new team building plan. No team has won recently with a high paid QB. Brady was always on a team friendly wage. Look at all the young QBs in the playoffs. Raiders will draft Love if he’s there at 13 and do a Mahomes/ Alex Smith plan with Love and Carr.
Raiders have flexibility with Carr and can pick and choose any direction based on draft. GET A LINEBACKER!