Rumors were swirling again this year at the NFL combine and one of the big ones was actually one of the old ones.
Derek Carr had been the center of trade rumors since October, but they had mostly quieted over the past month. Then a tweet last week from Bleacher Report’s Master Tesfatsion jumpstarted the conversation like it had never stopped. His report, or rumor as it may be, was that the Raiders were trying to shop their Pro Bowl quarterback during their week in Indianapolis.
But according to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, the Raiders were not looking for trade partners in Indy – at least not for Carr.
“I have been saying they could trade Carr for six months now, but they weren’t shopping him at the combine,” Tafur reported this week. “Could they trade him before the draft? They could, but it seems they would have little leverage as most teams already have a plan or a draft target. Like Jacksonville, for instance. They are going to sign Nick Foles. Done deal. And two other quarterback-needy teams will start with Murray and Dwayne Haskins. Plus, the Raiders have already guaranteed Carr’s $19.9 million salary and are entering a lame-duck season. All signs point to a make-it-or-break-it season for Carr.”
Of course the trade rumors around Carr aren’t going anywhere until the Raiders use their first-round pick on someone other than a quarterback. Once that happens, the rumors should take a short break… and presumably pop up again a few minutes after the offense’s first three-and-out of 2019.
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