According a report in The Athletic (in which Raiders insider Vic Tafur contributed), the Raiders are less likely to trade Derek Carr than they are Marcus Mariota.
“Multiple sources, including one GM, told The Athletic the Raiders’ preference is to move Marcus Mariota and keep Carr, unless someone makes them a ridiculous offer for Carr,” The Athletic report said. “Mariota has been mentioned as a possibility in New England, with the hope he could become for the Patriots what Ryan Tannehill has been for Mike Vrabel in Tennessee. Mariota has a $10.7 million cap hit, which is how much the Raiders can save — with no dead money — if they can deal him.”
This has basically been the consensus of about every voice that has reported on Carr’s status with the Raiders. And the fact that Jon Gruden was so aggressive in keeping Nathan Peterman should be a good indication that one of the quarterbacks is going to be traded.
Assuming it is Mariota that the Raiders ultimately trade, it will be interesting to see what his trade value will look like. Right now there doesn’t seem to be enough quarterbacks with proven upside to satisfy the market. The Patriots, Bears, Colts, and Washington Football Team are all playoff-ready teams looking for significant upgrades at quarterback. Those four teams seem to be scrambling to trade for someone among the list of Deshaun Watson, Carson Wentz, Sam Darnold, and Carr/Mariota.
Just a guess, but Wentz seems destined to end up in Indianapolis and that’s probably his preference. Darnold makes the most sense for Washington, and that scenario would leave the Bears and Patriots to squabble over what’s left… with Miami potentially swooping in for Watson with their stockpile of high draft picks.
twitter: @raidersbeat
Totally stupid if they trade Mariota keeping Carr is keeping mediocrity – with Carr, record will be the same as 2019, 2020 and beyond –