Getty Las Vegas Raiders QB Derek Carr.
The Derek Carr trade talk is finally starting to heat up for the Las Vegas Raiders. After it was revealed that the team wasn’t allowing the quarterback to speak to other teams about a trade, there was worry that a deal might not happen. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport then reported that Carr is flying to New Orleans to speak with the Saints.
While no trade is guaranteed, this is a good first step for the Raiders. Las Vegas and the Saints have agreed to trade compensation if Carr is willing to waive his no-trade clause but that still doesn’t mean a trade will actually happen. There are a lot of reasons to believe that Carr would have a strong interest in New Orleans – the most obvious being the fact that his former head coach Dennis Allen is the head man for the Saints.
Derek Carr’s brother Darren only added fuel to the idea of his brother becoming a Saint with a recent tweet. He posted a picture of Carr wearing a Saints uniform with the caption “life’s a movie.” Carr has since deleted the tweet.
He just deleted this tweet…
The Carr brothers are very close and Darren is likely one of the first people who will know if a trade gets done. He could just be having a bit of fun with the rumors but it’s notable that he’d put out a tweet like that when his brother is supposed to be visiting with the team.
Insider Drops Details on Possible Saints Trade
The Saints are $60 million over the salary cap and need to get that number way down by March 15, per Over the Cap. Carr would cost $33 million against this year’s salary cap. The Saints will have to get creative if they’re going to add him. They’ll have to restructure his contract and perhaps turn much of it into a signing bonus instead of salary.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Carr may not be too interested in that but New Orleans is the only team that has shown serious interest so far. Fowler is also hearing that the Raiders aren’t playing hardball and could be willing to part with the quarterback for just a third-round pick.
Themes emerged from talks w/ teams on Derek Carr:
-Inquiring teams want to rework deal, which they believe Carr probably won’t do
-Raiders’ asking price modest. One NFL source said 3rd rd pick could get it done
-N.O. believed to be only team engaged to extent of visit as of now
The lack of interest right now might concern Carr, which helps the Raiders convince him to waive his no-trade clause. At this point, Las Vegas appears happy to get anything out of a trade.
Will Other Teams Start Getting Involved?
While the Saints are getting a head start on Carr, there should be several other teams with at least some interest. The New York Jets have been talked about as a suitor and could try to get a visit from the quarterback now that things are heating up. The Saints should be more appealing to the Raiders because it sends the quarterback to the NFC but having more teams could lead to them getting a better offer.
The Washington Commanders should be another team that takes a look at Carr. Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio was Carr’s head coach for three years and they appear to have a good relationship. There also could be a number of teams that are waiting to see if he’ll hit free agency.