Getty Henry Ruggs & Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders.
After a strong season, it looked like Derek Carr was going to have job security with the Las Vegas Raiders. In fact, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the team has no intention of making a move at quarterback. However, that was before Houston Texans star Deshaun Watson possibly became available.
It’s still a very long shot that the Raiders even attempt to make a move for Watson but that’s not going to stop many from speculating. There have already been a number of Photoshops of Watson in a Raiders jersey circulating around the internet and one of them got a like from wide receiver Henry Ruggs.
Ruggs probably wouldn’t come out and say he wants Watson but liking a photo of the quarterback in a Raiders jersey is pretty telling. Fellow 2020 first-round pick Damon Arnette also liked the photo. It’s easy to get excited about a young superstar potentially joining the team but Las Vegas has a quarterback right now and it’s not a good look.
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Same Thing Happened With Tom Brady Last Year
While it has to be annoying for Derek Carr to see his teammates seemingly endorse the idea of making a change at quarterback, he’s probably used to it. When Tom Brady was still a free agent last year, Josh Jacobs, Trent Brown and Tyrell Williams essentially said they’d be excited to have Brady over Carr. That thought process is fine but they need to keep that to themselves.
Brown probably wouldn’t be very happy if Carr was going around saying how much he’d love it if the Raiders signed Trent Williams this offseason and Jacobs probably wouldn’t be happy if the quarterback was calling on the team to draft Najee Harris. Carr is the team’s leader and did play very well in 2020. He deserves a lot more respect from his teammates.
Watson Not Likely to Go to the Raiders
There are a number of reasons why Watson won’t end up with the Raiders but the biggest is that they probably just couldn’t offer Houston the best trade package. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported on Sunday that Watson would be open to a trade to the Miami Dolphins. In return, the Texans could get a young quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa and the third overall pick they sent Miami last season.
Sources say Watson could play hardball with Texans about a trade. His new $156 million contract includes a no-trade clause but informed speculation from a source is that he would consider the @MiamiDolphins in which Tua Tagovailoa and additional compensation goes to Houston.
The jury is still out on if Tagovailoa will be a good pro but Miami has much better draft capital than the Raiders do. Plus, the Dolphins are likely a quarterback away from being Super Bowl contenders while quarterback is not one of Las Vegas’ problems. Watson is better than Carr but the latter is still a top-10 quarterback. He threw for 4,103 yards and 27 touchdowns while throwing only nine touchdowns. He was also 10th in the NFL in passer rating. Also, Carr is significantly cheaper than Watson and wouldn’t cost the Raiders draft picks to keep.