Getty Josh McDaniels & Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Despite getting a contract extension in the offseason, Derek Carr’s future as the Las Vegas Raiders‘ quarterback has come into question once again this season. He’s been solid this year and is eighth in the league in passing yards and touchdowns. However, he hasn’t had the massive season that many expected him to after the team traded for Davante Adams.
This has led to speculation that the Raiders may look at other options in the offseason. Starting over with a rookie right away seems like an odd idea considering the team does have some really good veteran pieces. If Las Vegas wants to move on from Carr and bring in a rookie, it may be wise to bring in a bridge quarterback. The Athletic’s Jeff Howe pitched an idea that would see Jimmy Garoppolo reunite with Josh McDaniels.
“There’s another possibility here, too,” Howe wrote. “Garoppolo could be another candidate to reunite with McDaniels in Las Vegas. If the Raiders sign Garoppolo and flip Carr for a high draft pick, it could accelerate the rebuild by replenishing the wasted draft picks from the prior regime. However, the Raiders would probably need Carr’s college teammate and close friend, wide receiver Davante Adams, to be on board with the QB change.”
Why Adding Garoppolo Doesn’t Make a Ton of Sense?
Garoppolo is a solid quarterback and has proven time and time again that he knows how to win games. However, he’s also had the benefit of playing for just two head coaches in his career, and his teams almost always have good defenses. Las Vegas makes sense for him if he’s not planning to stay in San Francisco. He knows McDaniels’ offense well and it wouldn’t take much work to get in sync.
While Garoppolo would make sense with the coach, he’s not a better player than Carr. He’s won a lot more games but has been fortunate to be on much better teams. If the Raiders want to go the bridge quarterback route, they should just have Carr do it. He wouldn’t love the team bringing in somebody trying to take his job but he’s also not one to start drama. There’s also the fact that Garoppolo might be in for a big contract this offseason as he’s played well this year. The Raiders won’t want to pay him a lot of money.
Is Jimmy Garoppolo underrated? 👀
Since 2019…
– 31 wins and 15 losses 🔥
– 4th best Adj Yds / Attempt
– 2nd best Completion% 🎯
– Better TD% than Herbert and Kyler
Carr Isn’t Going Anywhere Unless Team Collapses
For the last several years, Carr’s job status has come into question and he still remains the quarterback. McDaniels is a fan of the quarterback the New England Patriots considered trying to trade for him while he was with the team. This season hasn’t gone according to plan but there have been signs of how good the offense can be.
The Raiders are going to want to give Carr another year in the system before they give up on him. The only way that would change is if the team completely collapses in the coming weeks. They are 4-7 right now so the playoffs aren’t likely but getting to seven or eight wins would prove that they are headed in the right direction. If the team finishes with five or six wins, it might be time to start questioning what to do at quarterback.