Getty Josh McDaniels hugging Mac Jones.
The Las Vegas Raiders appear to finally be heating things up after an 0-3 start to the season. Derek Carr is getting comfortable in Josh McDaniels‘ offense and the team is scoring the third-most points per game in the NFL. However, it’s still possible that McDaniels doesn’t believe Carr is the long-term option at quarterback, according to some in the media.
The quarterback’s contract gives the Raiders an out once the season is over if they want to make a change. If that’s where the team is leaning right now, they may want to get ahead of things. The New England Patriots haven’t gotten a great performance from Mac Jones this season and Bailey Zappe has outperformed him. Bill Belichick isn’t known to be very patient so it’s possible he’ll already give up on the 2021 first-round pick.
With the trade deadline approaching, Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated believes that Jones could make sense as the Raiders’ backup for the rest of the year and possibly get a chance to start in the future if they move on from Carr:
O.K., let’s get weird. The Raiders are on a year-to-year contract with Derek Carr, and Jones would provide them the flexibility to possibly move Carr if he isn’t jibing with Josh McDaniels’s offense. Remember, Jones looked good playing under McDaniels as a rookie. In return, the Patriots can get some draft capital that may help them take another swing at the position. Bill Belichick is the only person who could get away with something like this, and he’s the only coach who may be motivated to trade away an unhappy player regardless of draft position and status.
No, Raiders Aren’t Trading for Jones
Jones played much better under McDaniels and the two clearly had a good rapport with each other. The Patriots made the playoffs and Jones was named to the Pro Bowl. He hasn’t looked like the same player since the coach left. This would be a good career move for Jones.
That said, the Raiders aren’t making this trade. Despite Jones having a bad year, the Patriots would expect a solid amount of draft capital for him and possibly a first-round pick. The Raiders already gave up a first-round pick this year for Davante Adams. They won’t want to go two years in a row without a top pick. Also, Carr is a much better quarterback than Jones. It would be one thing to take a chance on a player with upside in the draft but Jones is a physically limited quarterback. His ceiling would be at a level that Carr is already at. He’d be a great backup for the Raiders if the Patriots are done with him but that’s unlikely to happen this year.
Precision TD pass by @DerekCarrQB to @mackhollins!
📺: #HOUvsLV on CBS
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Carr Fine After Injury Scare
The need for a good backup came to attention in Week 7 against the Houston Texans when Carr went down with an injury. Luckily, the Raiders only needed Jarrett Stidham to play one snap before Carr came back in. Stidham has a lot of experience in McDaniels’ offense but has never started an NFL game. The Raiders can’t be thrilled if he had to take significant snaps.
Over the last two seasons, Las Vegas was fortunate to have a very strong backup quarterback in Marcus Mariota. That’s not the case now but the team doesn’t need t worry as Carr appears to be healthy following Sunday’s injury scare. He practiced all week and is carrying no injury designation heading into Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints.