Getty Jon Gruden with Las Vegas Raiders quarterbacks.
With Philip Rivers retiring, the Indianapolis Colts were desperate for a new quarterback. Despite the Frank Reich-Carson Wentz connection, it wasn’t always a guarantee the Philadelphia Eagles were going to trade away their starting quarterback. The two sides finally came to an agreement on Thursday and now Wentz can try to reboot his career in Indianapolis.
He’s a natural fit with the Colts but he wasn’t the only quarterback the team was interested in. According to Jim Ayello of Indy Star, Indianapolis also check with the Las Vegas Raiders about Derek Carr. There have been rumors the Raiders could be open to trading Carr but Ayello says the team gave a firm “not available.”
League source says Colts were among the teams that checked in on Raiders starting quarterback Derek Carr. Received a pretty firm “not available.”
Carr would’ve been a strong fit with the Colts. They’ve got a great offensive line and some good weapons. However, he probably would’ve cost more than Wentz in a trade due to his much more appealing contract. Also, Carr was significantly better than Wentz in 2020.
ALL the latest Raiders news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Heavy on Raiders newsletter here!
Sign up for the Heavy on Raiders Newsletter!
Very Notable That Raiders Aren’t Dangling Carr
For a minute, it seemed like there were real legs to the idea that the Raiders could try to trade Carr to facilitate a trade for Deshaun Watson. Jon Gruden is a huge fan of the Houston Texans quarterback and Carr’s value is higher than ever. Now, it’s looking like Las Vegas doesn’t plan to make a move at quarterback.
Obviously, crazy things can happen but Carr might have his most value right now before the draft. If the Raiders wanted to trade him, they’d at least be entertaining teams that have an interest. Unless the Texans want Carr sent to them in a Watson trade, it seems highly unlikely he’s going anywhere this offseason.
Raiders Wise to Hold Onto Carr
A lot of Raider fans have soured on Carr over the last few years but it appears he’s going to stay in Las Vegas for a while longer. The fact that he’s never played in a playoff game is certainly concerning but that’s not all on him. Blaming Carr for the Raiders missing the playoffs the last four seasons is like crediting Trent Dilfer for the Baltimore Ravens’ Super Bowl win in 2000.
No, Carr hasn’t been perfect. He fumbles the ball too much. He’s also the team’s all-time leading passer. Great quarterbacks are almost impossible to find. The only great quarterback the Raiders have drafted in the Super Bowl era was Ken Stabler and that was in the 70s. Carr isn’t Stabler but he’s a top-10 quarterback in the NFL right now which means that 22 teams have a worse quarterback situation than the Raiders right now.
Now, Watson and Russell Wilson are clearly better and if there’s a chance to get one of them, Las Vegas needs to at least consider it. That said, there are much worse quarterbacks the Raiders could roll with in 2021 than Carr.
READ NEXT: Raiders ‘Better Go Get’ Superstar Pass Rusher, Says Damian Lillard