Getty Derek Carr with Marcus Mariota.
Rumors surrounding a contract extension for Derek Carr are starting to heat up. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport has reported the Las Vegas Raiders are planning to keep the quarterback going forward. While signs are pointing that Carr is sticking around for the future, anything is still possible.
It doesn’t appear that the two sides have met at the negotiation table quite yet. Perhaps the Raiders won’t like the idea of paying Carr $40 million a year but he won’t be willing to take anything less. A lot can happen once negotiations begin. The final outcome could be that the two sides decide that a trade is best. If so, the Washington Commanders should aggressively pursue Carr. He’d be an improvement over Taylor Heinicke and has familiarity with defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, who coached the quarterback with the Raiders from 2015 to 2017.
Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report decided to propose a trade between the two sides. The Raiders would send Carr to Washington for their 2022 first-round pick (No. 11 overall), 2022 third-round pick and 2023 first-round pick:
The quarterbacks who could be available with the 11th pick aren’t the kind you want to start Day 1. There’s likely to be at least one team that talks itself into taking a signal-caller in the top 10, but it would be surprising to see any of them be a huge upgrade over Taylor Heinicke or Ryan Fitzpatrick in Year 1.
Carr would be, though. So while the Raiders may feel like they need a reset at the position to get to new heights, he’s a huge upgrade from what Washington has had since Kirk Cousins left town in 2018.
In return, the Raiders would get the No. 11 pick, a third-rounder and another first next year. The first-rounder in 2023 could be crucial as it could help them trade up for a quarterback of the future when Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud may be declaring for the draft.
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It Would Be Hard for Raiders to Say No to This Offer
This offer from Washington would likely be the best the Raiders could get for Carr. Not only would they get a near top-10 pick this year, but they’d also get two more good picks. That’s much better than what a team like the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be able to offer.
Getting multiple first-round picks for any player is appealing, especially when they’re coming up on a big payday. The Raiders would run the risk of taking a major step back but they should at least entertain this offer if it’s presented. For Washington, it makes a lot of sense. They have a solid roster but haven’t had consistent quarterback play. Carr would give them stability and a much better chance of becoming a perennial playoff team.
Most completions on 15+ yard throws this season:
🚀 Tom Brady – 75
🚀 Derek Carr – 71
Long-Term Plan if Carr Is Traded
While having to start over at quarterback isn’t ideal, the Raiders could re-sign Marcus Mariota in this scenario and have him be the temporary starter. Las Vegas could then look to draft a quarterback this year or next year and start developing them. The problem with this scenario is that it hurts the Raiders’ chance of being in the playoffs in the near future.
The team made the playoffs for just the second time since 2002. Does McDaniels really want to repeat the same mistakes he did in Denver when he traded Jay Cutler upon getting hired? That seems unlikely so Carr will almost certainly be the starting quarterback in Week 1 of the 2022 season.
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