Getty Derek Carr with Johnathan Abram and Isaiah Johnson.
Based on early comments from new head coach Josh McDaniels, the Las Vegas Raiders are planning on Derek Carr being the team’s starting quarterback of the future even though there could be a number of big-name quarterbacks available this offseason.
One of them is Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, whom ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez suggested in a February 3 story as a possible trade target in Las Vegas.
In Gutierrez’s proposal, Las Vegas would send Carr, safety Johnathan Abram and a 2022 second-round pick to Seattle for Wilson and the Seahawks’ 2022 fifth-round pick.
“While Carr holds virtually every passing record in franchise history, he has probably reached his ceiling, and his contract situation makes things tenuous,” Gutierrez wrote. “Both QBs could benefit from a change of scenery.”
Carr, who will be 31 when the 2022 season starts, has the most passing yardage (31,700) and touchdowns (197) in Raiders history as well as the franchise’s all-time highest passer rating (92.4).
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A Steal for the Raiders?
Carr threw for a career-best 4,804 yards in 2021. He also threw 23 touchdowns (just under his career average of 24.1) and 14 interceptions, the highest number in his career. McDaniels told SiriusXM NFL Radio on February 2 that he envisions Carr as the Raiders’ quarterback of the future.
“It’ll be a really fun experience for me to continue to build this thing with him as our leader,” said McDaniels, who was hired on January 31. “He’s certainly capable of doing a lot of great things. He’s done them before in his career. I’m just looking forward to getting to know him, how he learns the best, what he does, and how we put this thing around him the best way we can to help him be successful and help our team ultimately achieve our goals.”
Wilson has only one losing season in his 10-year career with the Seahawks. He also led the Seahawks to a victory in the 2014 Super Bowl. Giving up Carr, Abram and a second-round pick might seem like a steal for the Raiders.
Abram, a 25-year-old safety, was a first-round pick in 2019 whose stats indicate he hasn’t lived up to his draft status. He ranked first in the NFL in receptions allowed. According to Pro Football Focus, he was the 78th best safety in 2021, out of 94. Abram will enter the 2022 season in the final year of his four-year contract. The Raiders have an option to pick up a fifth year.
Meanwhile, the Abrams’ counterpart on the Seahawks, Jamal Adams, ranks 63rd among safeties, according to Pro Football Focus.
One of my raider nation folks sent me this … @DangeRussWilson … thoughts?
It’ll Take a Lot More to Get Wilson
Wilson’s 2021 statistics were lower than his career averages, and the Seahawks failed to get to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Still, Wilson ranked 12th among all quarterbacks in NFL.com’s annual year-end QB Index. Most proposed trades of this magnitude would require a first-round pick in return for a quarterback of Wilson’s pedigree.
Unlike many teams who might be interested in trading for Wilson, the Raiders have an appealing quarterback to offer in return. In fact, according to NFL.com’s QB Index and Pro Football Focus’ quarterback grades, Carr ranks higher than Wilson on both lists.
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