Getty Las Vegas Raiders QB Derek Carr.
There’s an arms race in the AFC West and the Las Vegas Raiders are falling behind. The Denver Broncos pulled off a trade for Russell Wilson while the Los Angeles Chargers have landed All-Pro defenders in J.C. Jackson and Khalil Mack. It’s still early in the offseason but the Raiders haven’t done much of anything yet.
Derek Carr is a good quarterback and some would argue that he’s one of the 10 best in the NFL. However, not many would argue against the notion that he’s the fourth-best in the division behind Wilson, Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes. New Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels likes Carr and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport previously reported that the plan was to move forward with him at quarterback. That was before Wilson joined the AFC West.
There are teams like the Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers and more that are in desperate need of an upgrade at quarterback. Carr’s value on the trade market could be at an all-time high. Pro Football Focus’ Austin Gayle believes that the Raiders should trade the quarterback due to the fact that his value is so high right now and the team doesn’t have the roster to compete in the AFC West.
The reason the Raiders should trade Derek Carr isn’t because he’s the fourth-best QB in the division.
It’s because he has A TON of value entering the last year of his contract on the fourth-best roster in the division.
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Colts & Browns Could Inquire About Carr
At this point, it seems unlikely the Raiders realistically entertain trading Carr. McDaniels has even stated that he will be the starting quarterback in Week 1. However, that’s not going to stop teams from reaching out. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the Colts and Cleveland Browns have shown interest in Carr already this offseason.
The Colts are obvious as they don’t have a starting-caliber quarterback on the roster right now. With a roster that’s good enough to get to the playoffs right now, the team doesn’t want to rely on a rookie in 2022. The Browns are interesting as they have a former No. 1 overall pick in Baker Mayfield. He’s coming off a down year but was a stud in 2020. It’s hard to imagine they’d put together a bigger package to offer the Raiders than other quarterback-needy teams would.
Trading Carr Would Be a Mistake
It’s true that the Raiders now have the fourth-best quarterback in the AFC West but the gap between Carr and Wilson might not be as big as it once was. The answer for Las Vegas isn’t to get significantly worse at quarterback. The Raiders were one of only two teams in the AFC West to get to the playoffs last year. To suggest that they’re going to fall to fourth place is premature.
New Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett hasn’t called plays in years and Chargers head coach Brandon Staley showed some big red flags last season. Obviously, McDaniels has his own red flags but it’s safe to say that the Chiefs are the only team that has a clear head coaching advantage in the AFC West with Andy Reid. Until proven otherwise, the division is wide open behind the Chiefs. Carr has proven that he’s capable of competing with Herbert and Mahomes on any given Sunday. It’s far too early to write the Raiders off in 2022 with Carr at quarterback. It would be a big mistake to trade him now.
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