NFL Draft weekend got very interesting for the Las Vegas Raiders when a report from Pro Football Talk indicated that Aaron Rodgers would welcome a trade to the team. They have largely stayed out of quarterback rumors this offseason but Rodgers is the reigning MVP and possibly the best in the business. No trade has happened yet but that doesn’t mean the Raiders aren’t considering their options.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the team has no issue with Derek Carr but believes they could take a look at Rodgers.
“[Aaron Rodgers] is reportedly intrigued by the Raiders as well, so they have to be on this list,” Fowler recently said on ESPN. “They’re happy with Derek Carr; nothing’s going on right now, and they very well could extend Derek Carr sometime soon. But the Raiders look into every single quarterback situation. … They looked at past free agents or trade options. So, Jon Gruden is sort of always lurking. You can’t discount them.”
If a player like Rodgers says he wants to play for your team, you have to at least give it some thought. Carr is a very good quarterback but Rodgers might be one of the five best to ever play.
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Raiders Looked Closely at Trey Lance
Apparently, the Raiders could have also had an interest in a rookie quarterback. There have been a number of rumors linking former North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance to the team. Fowler dropped some more insight into those rumors.
“I was asking around about Trey Lance before the draft, and I was told the Raiders were one of the teams that looked most closely at Lance—did a ton of research on all the quarterbacks,” Fowler said.
Lance ended up going No. 3 overall to the San Francisco 49ers so there was no way Las Vegas was going to have a shot at him. The Raiders do work on the quarterbacks every year. That has more to do with the fact that Jon Gruden loves to evaluate quarterbacks. At this point, it’s hard to see the Raiders making a move at quarterback until they actually do.
Unlikely Raiders Make Trade for Rodgers
This late into the offseason, it’s highly unlikely the Raiders make a move at quarterback. As previously mentioned, they are happy with Carr and they should be. He’s coming off of a very strong year and has gotten better since Gruden took the team over.
The Raiders can’t afford Rodgers’ massive contract and it sounds like he’s looking for a raise. It would take a lot of work to make the necessary room to afford the star quarterback. Also, that’s not even factoring in what it will take to land him in a trade. It will take a minimum of three first-round picks. Is it worth that much for a young team to trade for a 37-year-old with an injury history? Probably not. The only thing that would make it worth it is if it looks like the Denver Broncos are going to land Rodgers. If that happens, the Raiders are either the third or fourth-best team in the AFC West.
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Raiders ‘Happy’ With Derek Carr, Could Still Entertain Trade: Report