Derek Carr’s Possible Destinations For The 2023
On Wednesday, Josh McDaniels announced that Derek Carr would be benched, and backup Jarrett Stidham will start against the 49ers. With the possibility of Carr getting traded in the off-season, where could Carr end up?
Complete Carr Wreck
Josh McDaniels has officially seen enough. In a press conference on Wednesday, McDaniels announced Carr would be benched, and Jarrett Stidham would assume his duties. According to a source, Carr has confirmed that he will step away from the team for the remainder of the season to avoid being a distraction.
After being informed of his benching, Raiders QB Derek Carr has left the team, with their permission, to avoid being a distraction over the final two weeks of the season, according to a source. — Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) December 28, 2022
Derek Carr is currently the interception leader in the NFL with 14 interceptions, averaging just under one per game. However, Derek holds almost every passing record for the Raiders. Derek also started 91 straight games, the second-longest active streak in the NFL behind Tom Brady.
Sources said the Raiders met with the quarterback, and both sides agreed to the benching. The Raiders made this move to maintain his health and to keep the franchise’s options open this off-season with the possibility of a potential trade. However, the sources did note that a return for Carr is still on the table. So with all this speculation, where are the possible landing spots for Derek Carr this off-season?
The Possibilities Are Endless
As the title says, there are many places where Derek Carr could end up. There could be eight or nine, New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants, Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, and back to the Raiders.
The Colts, Jets, and Saints are my favorites for him to go. The Colts, in recent years, have opted for the veteran route with the likes of Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, and Matt Ryan. The Colts also have the abundant talent to trade for him and draft capital. The Jets are next; with the benching of Zach Wilson and Mike White being a free agent, this is a heavy favorite for Carr to land. Last but not least of the favorites is the Saints, they have Jameis Winston, but he is somebody New Orleans is considering cutting. Dalton is also on an expiring contract. Initially, the Saints would have to move a little financially, but it is still possible.
With the favorites aside, there are still a few more teams in the running for Carr. Tampa Bay is fascinating because Tom Brady is still playing for them. However, the likelihood of him returning is very slim; most have speculated it would either be retirement or he would play for another team. Nevertheless, a trade for Brady would be interesting; Brady would reassemble with McDaniels in Las Vegas, a place rumored to be one of Brady’s destinations wanted when he left New England.
Speaking of New England, this is another place I could see Derek Carr playing. New England has had quarterback troubles the whole year. Mac Jones was benched for Bailey Zappe, Zappe did impress early, but Mac Jones has since reclaimed his starting job but has not awed his way into security. Is Bill Belichick willing to take a risk with a veteran like Carr? I believe so; anything to get the Patriots in the win column.
These following two teams have top ten picks in the NFL draft as it stands. The Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons. In this last offseason, both of these teams went out and got a veteran quarterback in hopes that they would hit the jackpot. Marcus Mariota played for the Falcons this year and got benched a few weeks ago for Desmond Ridder, the rookie quarterback they drafted this past year. I could see Atlanta getting another veteran quarterback to start and not rushing Desmond Ridder’s progression as an NFL quarterback.
The Panthers inherited a former number one overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, Baker Mayfield. Mayfield would eventually lose his job and even get cut by the Panthers; Mayfield now plays for the Los Angeles Rams. Sam Darnold and P.J. Walker are at the helm for the Panthers. Derek Carr is much better than both quarterbacks, which makes me believe they would pursue Carr.
Another new place could be the New York Giants. It’s interesting, Daniel Jones has not been great, but the Giants are actively fighting for a playoff spot. I would understand if they want to ride with Jones based on their record this year. However, if the Giants did add a guy like Carr, I could only imagine they would be better.
The last place Derek would end up is back home in Vegas. I don’t know the relationship between the Raiders and Derek at the moment; I can only imagine it is not great. Even if he wanted to come back, we still don’t know if the Raiders want to bring him back. It seems like a long shot he will play for them again, but he is still under contract, so there’s always the possibility.
Derek Carr may be the "hot ticket" of the offseason 📈 "There's a lot of options for Derek Carr and there aren't a lot of other QBs in the market." — @minakimes pic.twitter.com/VgpABCl7NB — NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) December 29, 2022
In Conclusion
Looking at all the teams that could be involved in acquiring Carr, a couple of them are longshots. To me, Derek’s Raider days are over. With sources saying they want him healthy to try to move him in the offseason, it seems like they have already made their mind up. I would be surprised if he didn’t end up at one of the three favorites I listed above. If Carr does leave, I’m intrigued to see who the Raiders would replace Carr with.