In a development that certainly points to the Raiders exploring a separation, Derek Carr will not be with the team to finish the regular season.
Carr will step away from the Raiders for their final two weeks of the season, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Discussions between Carr and Raiders brass led to this outcome, per Rapoport, and the ninth-year passer will not attend practices or the team’s final two games.
Themed around preventing distractions, this latest Carr news is not exactly in stride with a team merely making a performance-based change at quarterback. This will allow Carr to avoid answering questions about his Raiders status, and that status figures to come up often between now and the critical February window his new contract created.
The Raiders will start offseason pickup Jarrett Stidham for the final two games. Practice squad arm Chase Garbers will back up the former Patriots draft choice. Stidham has thrown 61 career passes — 13 as a Raider — and has never started a game. With the fourth-year passer not exactly a live candidate to vie for Las Vegas’ 2023 starting job, this benching opens the door to a Carr trade or release.
Carr’s contract calls for a $40.4MM payment due three days after Super Bowl LVII, giving the Raiders a chance to arrange a trade. A trade will be complicated by Carr’s no-trade clause and the prospect of a snafu scuttling a deal in the month between an agreed-upon swap and the start of the 2023 league year, the first date trades can become official. Still, recent winter QB trades have occurred, providing a blueprint of sorts for the new Raiders regime. The Lions sent Matthew Stafford to Los Angeles, and the Chiefs dealt Alex Smith to Washington; each trade occurred in January. But a deal falling through would put the Raiders on the hook for the $40.5MM guarantee.
A team that agrees to acquire Carr via trade would inherit a through-2025 contract that contains base salaries of $32.9MM (2023), $41.9MM (2024) and $41.2MM (2025). The Raiders agreeing to trade Carr before that February vesting date would put the acquiring team on the hook for that 2023 salary and $7.5MM of the 2024 payment. Carr, 31, would be an upgrade for many teams, but the bonus does add a wrinkle here. The Colts-Falcons Matt Ryan swap this year only involved Indianapolis picking up a $7.5MM roster bonus.
It will be interesting to see how the Raiders navigate any potential Davante Adams complications, though the receiver is under contract through 2026. The longtime Packers standout sought a trade to reunite with his college teammate and signed a five-year, $140MM extension upon being dealt in March. Aaron Rodgers‘ year-to-year status in Green Bay impacted Adams’ trade ask, and he will now work with Stidham to close his first Raiders season.
Carr trade rumors — once an offseason fixture — may actually produce a deal next year. With McDaniels once rumored to be on the hot seat, moving on from a proven veteran at this rather important position runs the risk of the Raiders downgrading at QB for 2023. But viable options — like ex-McDaniels pupils Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo, who will probably be linked to the Raiders a time or two in the coming weeks — stand to be available, as the 2020s have brought continued high-action QB offseasons.
About time!!
Maybe so, but they certainly could have waited two more games. Carr is better than their other QB’s.
The Raiders will be a weird team without Carr…think McDaniels might make a push for the Raiders to hacr Brady on board for next year???
As a Charger fan I sure hope they bring in Brady.
As a Chiefs fan, bring Brady to Begas, yes Begas. He has lost the fire in his eyes & going to a dysfunctional situation isn’t going to bring that back.
While he hasn’t played “bad”, what have you seen out of Brady that would want you to have him? Father Time has finally won it looks like.
I get next to Carr he’s an improvement, but that’s not saying a lot.
This is NOT going to go well.
Wonder what Davante Adams thinks about this. Could have a bigger ripple affect than just QB position drama.
They could quite possibly lose 2 of their 3 best players on the offensive side of the ball AND piss off the 3rd. If they do so AND keep McDaniels??? HA!
Agreed. But hey, it’s not like McDaniels has EVER done this EXACT thing before, right?
Raiders fans, say hello to your new quarterback, Tim Tebow.
They are going to lose all three if you talking Jacobs
No was talking about pissing off Adams. Jacobs is gone fo sho. Adam’s is under contract and I can’t imagine that McDaniels is looking to move him
Disrespect to a great qb. I’ve really forgotten how bad they were before he got there
Being better than Carson Palmer and JaMarcus Russell certainly does not make you a good option at QB.
Carr has had his moments, but he also had every opportunity to shine this year and fell completely flat.
So did McDaniels. Should he sit out the next 2?
Yes
“Themed around preventing distractions…”
Mark Davis is worried that news about Carr will be more of a distraction than the Gruden e-mails? He really is a dope.
I have to say that, because I don’t know him, I’ve been hesitant to speak on Adams’ quality as an owner. I know that others are quick to shovel what I thought before was unfair criticism regarding decisions that the majority of us know nothing about. I also do not want to disrespect Raiders fans by appearing to pick on their franchise or history.
I am truly at a loss to explain why Mark Davis goes out of his way to trade for Adams and then dumps Carr for McDaniels. It’d be one thing if McDaniels hadn’t been an abject failure this year. It’d even be another thing if McDaniels hadn’t done this exact same song and dance before. And it’d be even yet another if most people weren’t already predicting this to be yet another bad move made solely by the owner based purely on whimsical personal conclusions. I just really can’t see any reason or logic to Davis’ moves, and I can’t see any justification for them beyond his personal satisfaction.
On one hand, you have a franchise player who has somehow not had much stability in his near decade of starting (coaching or roster, usually one or the other, but sometimes both) and mostly played well and been a good representative of the team. On the other, you have Josh McDaniels. And you, Mark Davis, chose McDaniels. I don’t get it.
No one was happier to see the Raiders disrespected than Al Davis. It was a big part of his brilliant branding strategy.
AK if you need an example of Davis making a poor decision look no further than the choice of his haircut. That should prove in itself that he makes bad decisions.
I wouldn’t even call it a “haircut”. I think for the low, low price of .99 cents, they put a bowl on his head and spun the barber chair 3 revolutions. The cheapness spoke to Mark.
He sits down and says ‘Give me the Lloyd Christmas’.
well so much for the honeymoon Davante Adams
Davante’s wanted his family to be able to see him play. Apparently they didn’t know there was an airport, gambling with a buffet in Green Bay. Now the whole fam is is wondering WTF.
From what I’ve gathered, during his time with GB, members of Adams family (particularly the older ones) rarely if ever traveled to GB. Whether it was the cold, not wanting to fly, health concerns or whatever, it’s pretty narrow minded to say ‘they didn’t know there was an airport, gambling with a buffet in Green Bay’..
I will never blame a player for wanting to be closer to family, where neither he or they are required to get on an airplane in order to see each other. I’d also say even if his family was willing and able to travel to GB, doing so for the better part of a decade seems like more than enough of a commitment. And as much guff as I give the Packers FO for a lot of things, I think it was beyond decent to accommodate his wishes (while actually managing to get value in return).
Wow Pineapple I gotta admit that you have earned a lot of respect
Home attendance sucks. Just as much a marketing move as a player personnel move? This is VEGAS! League won’t tolerate poor attendance. Lamar and Ravens FO/ownership at a contract impasse is a real thing. LJ brings his high wire act to the desert!?
How long before Adams raises the roof, and announce he did not sign up for this and wants out.
Have not heard the rumor, so I might has well start it. Carr to the Jets for Wilson.
The Jets would have to add some picks, but yeah, Carr to the Jets would certainly make sense.
Was my first thought last week – Carr for Wilson and a pick..sign Brady for a year. I thought it was a reasonable thought but not all agreed lol
Y’all realize Carr has a no-trade clause? Even the usually gullible NYC tabloids aren’t biting.
I suppose Carr could refuse to waive his no trade, if he believes it will force the Raiders to simply cut him and he’ll have 100% control over where he goes from there..but that’d probably mean giving up a large chunk of money.
I don’t think its a slam dunk at all that he refuses to waive it. No matter what those super reliable NY tabloids believe.
If anyone is willing to take on that contract and pay Carr 40mil per even for one season, he would be insane to block a trade. He would be looking at maybe something in the 25mil per as a FA. I guarantee he doesn’t block a trade.
That trade clause would mostly just help dictate which teams Carr could “force” his way on to. I can think of two that, all other concerns being imaginary, would turn into instant contenders with Carr instead of their current starters in Denver and New York. One could even throw San Francisco, who will likely stick with Lance another year, into that Madden style plug-play hypothetical team that’s only really questionable at the QB spot.
In real life, Carr is still enough of an upgrade over most quarterbacks in the league. He may not be thought of as elite, but it’s still difficult to find even that Tony Romo style second tier quality starter that usually sits anywhere from 5-15 on a hypothetical QB ranking. Guys like Carr and Garappolo don’t offer as clear as an upgrade to fans as, say, a Rodgers would, but the veteran leadership and experience by itself has gotten lesser QBs signed in the past. Carr actually has some quality seasons to accompany that, and has a positive history as a team representative. Teams like the Jets or Panthers need that in large doses. I think that Carr will command several good offers, and his no trade clause will allow him to sift through them.
Carr for Wilson and a pick..sign Brady for a year.
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I think that was the first thought for a lot of people. Well, that and wondering why the Raiders thought benching Carr would increase his trade value.
At what point do NFL GMs\owners realize that McDaniels-related problems aren’t just coincidental and actually his fault?
One look at this owner’s choice of hair stylists should highlight his decision-making skills.
Tiny bubbles in the hair.
Trade him to the Packers for Aaron Rodgers. Boom tough actin tinactin.
Better attach 2 1st round draft picks to Green Bay. First thing Roger’s has to on board with this.
I don’t think GB can do it with the current cap ramifications. I also don’t think they would do it if they could.
LaFlower is constantly lobbying for Rodgers to stick around, and the FO loves LaFlower, so unless 12 flat out demands a trade (instead of retiring) and they (can) redo his deal to fix the enormous cap issue, no chance they move him. They could have done it either of the last 2 off-seasons and didn’t.
I would posit that this hypothetical swap is more likely for Tampa than Green Bay. I am not predicting a Carr to Tampa line, but I think that it would surprise me less than seeing Rodgers playing somewhere other than Green Bay in 2023.
Carr to the Broncos for Wilson!
Patriots should be doing the same thing…. sitting Mac Jones and playing Zappe.
If Brady plays next year… it could be in Vegas…. but I think there just as much of a chance as Mac Jones being traded to Vegas… But we don’t want Carr back in the deal… rather have a draft pick and the cap space.\
AK
Not sure about how much cap space you will get from this more like dead money for a couple years. Raiders shot themselves in the foot then the other one too. Everyone knows they have to trade Carr now. It is not if we get a good deal. There is no if we get a good deal. There is a have to.
Teams are going to low ball them to death until they agree to a team getting a great deal. I think Carr is a good QB and with the right coach and players could go to a SB just not sure if he is that great of a QB to carry a decent team to the SB.
Sorry not for AK for Dooper
He was saying the Pats wouldn’t want Carr for Mac. They’d take a pick and the cap space trading Mac would create.
In terms of Raiders cap space trading vs cutting Carr, I must be missing something…because OTC says they’d open up $29M (of $35M) either way…
Mac is still on his rookie deal. How much cap space would trading him actually create?
They should play Zappe because he gives them a better chance to win.
Jimmy G or Brady would be I think a slight upgrade, get back some picks and can upgrade the rest of the team where needed.
Think going to Vegas, under McDaniels and with Ziegler in charge would be appealing to Tom. They have weapons in Adams, Renfrow and Walker in key positions. I think Jacobs leaves but they could grab another familiar face in Damien Harris to compete with Zamir White for carry’s.
O line holds a little bit is weak but the lure of Brady and Vegas could tempt players to come join for cheaper. Use Carr to get some picks and upgrade where needed like the secondary.
If not Brady, Jimmy G isn’t really much of an upgrade from Carr if at all. However he has lead his team to Super Bowls of the back of having a star WR, star TE and a good defence.
If Brady is okay with facing the Chiefs twice a year (and the Chargers, if they take that next step), the other appeals could make sense. McDaniels has been a spectacular failure everywhere he’s been as head coach, but he and Brady work spectacularly well together. And it’s not just Brady being Brady, either. McDaniels had, I believe, the longest stretch as Brady’s O.C. and had some good production in Brady’s thirties, before slowing down the two years prior to Brady’s departure. Of course, Brady supposedly was upset at McDaniels’ risk averse gameplan for him at that time.
Brady is frustrated (possibly wrongfully, possibly not) with his current staff, and McDaniels does have a few weapons to offer. Renfrow is Brady’s favorite type of player, and Adams, though much different stylistically than Evans, can run many of the same routes. Waller in theory could do much of what Gronk did (minus a lot of the blocking and with different technique) receiving, but seemingly has fallen more out of favor with the offense for some reason. That line, though, will be much worse than what Brady has in Tampa (where he is one of the least sacked QBs in the league, even throwing as much as he has this year).
I think ultimately the question will largely be how tough a division Brady wants to go to. The Chiefs are perennially the best or close to the best team in the AFC, and the Chargers may end up there as well (especially if they fire Staley and hire a decent coach). The Broncos likely won’t be in that crowd any time soon, but have a roster that could bounce back and be a more competitive opponent than, say, Atlanta or a Dennis Allen led New Orleans.
I wouldn’t put Las Vegas past Brady, but I wouldn’t put it at the top of his list. If San Fran would take him, that may be it there. Las Vegas is much closer to San Mateo than either Tampa or Boston, though.
This franchise is an absolute joke. That storied history is being dirtied up like a piece of Charmin. This pretty much confirms, after everything Carr has done for this franchise, they’re going to cut him. I’m out. I’m done. It’s time to burn the apparel and find a new team.
I hope Bowl head, Hoodie Jr and whoever else had a hand in this stupid, disrespectful decision sticks around this franchise until Carr retires. And I hope they lose every single game, every year, like the clown show they are. And I hope when McDaniels eventually leaves, his Daddy ain’t there in New England anymore to give him a cushy landing spot.
Deuces, Raiders! Carr deserved better than this classless dumpster fire
I feel your pain…if this was Rich Gannon you were talking about. Carr made his own bed.
I’ve adamantly defended Carr for years but the last two weeks have been abysmal. The line is awful and he hasn’t had all of his weapons but at the end of the day Derek has played flat out horribly lately. As much as I hate to see DC end his Raiders tenure this way, the time has come to look elsewhere for a QB1 that will get us over the hump. One thing I am afraid of is reaching for a QB in the first round instead of shoring up the o-line or defense. If we can get out from the 40 million dollar cap hit I’d take Brady on a 1 year stop gap and draft a project in round 2 or later
I gather the team is not counting on both Miami and Pittsburgh losing both games, while the Jets lose to Seattle and the Patriots lose to Buffalo even if they win both…
Adams doesn’t care. He got paid.
Yeah, cuz when he decided to leave GB he said exactly that..’I don’t care where I go, long as I get paid.’
Didn’t mention his desire to reunite with a former college qb, play closer to his family/ where he grew up, or to suit up for the team he was a fan of as a kid. He didn’t even turn down more money from GB.
I would say this is one of the weirdest moves ever – but it fits with what McDaniels did in Denver, driving off Jay Cutler and then later Brandon Marshall – the two best players the Broncos offense had at the time.
Remember that long summer when Pats fans told us all over and over that Stidham was the next Brady?
And then BB signed the Ghost of Cam Newton instead.
Poor scouting there. All around.
Hahahaha.
Yes. I remember this fondly.
As far as Adams, the grass ain’t always greener on the other side. Packers offered him more money and he turned them down. Gets traded and now this. I bet he regrets not taking the packers offer
Should have taken the money in Green Bay and enjoyed a couple more banner years with Aaron Rodgers. The Packers would certainly have locked up a playoff spot by now if Adams hadn’t left.
1 thing I still wonder about..supposedly the “unknown” regarding Rodgers future was part of why he wanted out..but for how many years had Carr been rumored to be on his way out?
I don’t think that specific issue was as big as some want us to believe.
Being a Charger fan, I can say that this could happen to a more deserving team. I always liked Carr and don’t think the organization should handle his situation this way. He is a class act. I can’t remember what all they gave up for Adams now but I’m sure it was a lot and now they have no qb to throw to him. Bet he regrets demanding a trade and is pissed at Davis. Hopefully Jacobs decides to leave also. Brady nor Jimmy G would be an upgrade at this point in their careers.
Las Vegas declined Josh Jacobs’ 5th-year option, so he’s as good as gone.
Don’t count in it. He’s leading the league in rushing or is second. Huge mistake if they don’t resign him.
Jets for Zack Wilson and a pick!
The problem is not their QB. It’s their head coach.
I don’t know why any team would trade for him. The Raiders will most likely just cut him before that deadline and a team could then just pick him up without having to give up anything and most likely for a lower salary since he’s not going to command a 40+mil deal after this season.
No way he is going to be staying a Raider after this so just show patience and call their bluff if they for some reason decide not to release him but still try and trade him later. They’d then have to pick up his 2023 salary…I think.
The fact he has a no trade clause also factors into the silliness in trying to trade for him given he can nix the deal.
Do you enjoy cocktails and great smoke? lol
Just kidding….. Carr has drove a lot of us NUTS all season but to see this happen is….. not right
Washington’s to-do list.
1. Fire Ron Rivera
2. Fire Ron Rivera
3. Work on a Carr acquisition
Would be just the cherry on top to them mishandling the Cousins situation. They had a better version of Carr and let him walk for nothing and then go pay a lesser player more money than Kirk makes? Very much in line with how that franchise has been ran though so you’re probably right.
Carr is expensive and not good enough as Skoldad says. Money better spent to keep Heinicke on an inexpensive contract and bring in a couple of good offensive linemen.
Come on home Davante! Couple years of Rodgers and being with an organization that hasn’t been a dumpster fire the last 10 years sounds much better than staying on the west coast.
The Pat’s trade Bill B and either a #1 or #2 Draft pick this year even-up for McDaniels and Your GM? You might have a good chance for Brady to reunite with BB in Vegas.
So much for being an excellent leader eh? Won’t be there for the backups he has “such a good realationship” with.
McDaniels wants to be Billy boys clone so desperately. Misery is, he’s not capable nor talented enough.
I’m thinking Mark will fire him next season after he screws up the next Raider draft.
Maybe someone can explain to me how burying Carr for the final two games will increase his value?