The Raiders may be making a big-picture move. For the first time in his career, Derek Carr will be the Raiders’ backup quarterback. Josh McDaniels announced Jarrett Stidham will start in Week 17.
Carr, 31, is the longest-tenured starting quarterback in Raiders history and the team’s all-time passing leader. He has started 91 straight games. But he threw three interceptions last week and now leads the league with 14 this season. Considering the structure of Carr’s contract, this decision could have long-term ramifications.
This move is for the rest of the regular season, per McDaniels, who said (via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, on Twitter) the Raiders will evaluate the younger quarterback as well as other younger players. The team is already shutting down Chandler Jones and Denzel Perryman; other vets could follow. This could impact the AFC and NFC playoff races; the Raiders host the 49ers in Week 17 and the Chiefs in Week 18. For Las Vegas, however, this decision may bring a major change.
Months after McDaniels took over, he and GM Dave Ziegler authorized a second Carr extension — this one a three-year, $121.4MM deal — that locked down the ninth-year quarterback through 2025. But the contract gives the Raiders an out. Three days after Super Bowl LVII, $40.4MM — Carr’s $32.9MM 2023 salary and $7.5MM of his 2024 base — will become guaranteed. The Raiders, then, have a narrow window to find a trade partner.
Carr’s market should be expected to heat up after the Super Bowl, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets, though the Pro Bowl QB’s extension does include a no-trade clause. That will complicate a potential deal. If the Raiders do move him, it would free up $29.3MM in cap space, Joel Corry of CBS Sports offers (via Twitter).
Raiders brass discussed the Carr plan over the past two nights, per The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, and Wednesday’s decision increases the likelihood Carr could be on the move in February. No trade can become official until the 2023 league year begins in March, but high-profile QB swaps — such as the Matthew Stafford deal or the Alex Smith exchange — have taken place around the Super Bowl in recent years. The Raiders sitting Carr now protects against an injury affecting the longtime starter’s value, even though the 6-9 team is not technically eliminated. On the fringes of “In the hunt” graphics, however, the Raiders are effectively looking ahead to next season.
Carr trade rumors persisted during Jon Gruden’s tenure, but given his performance level, the Raiders securing a replacement who could outplay him was difficult. Thus, Carr stayed on and steadily improved under Gruden. Under McDaniels this season, he has taken a step back. The former second-round pick has thrown nine INTs over his past five games, completing 57% of his passes in that span.
Were the Raiders to make Carr available, a few teams would likely be interested. The Jets, Commanders, Saints, Panthers and Colts are teams who could upgrade with Carr. Excepting the Colts, that lot will not hold top-five draft choices. The Commanders, Panthers, Colts and Saints were in this offseason’s QB market, while the Jets are likely to enter the mix in 2023. Zach Wilson may already be on the way out, and Mike White‘s contract is up after the season. If Carr becomes available, he would join Jimmy Garoppolo, Tom Brady and Daniel Jones as the top potential targets. Other QBs, as recent years have shown, may be on the trade market. But the Seahawks are aiming to retain Geno Smith. And it will take a Deshaun Watson-level package to pry Lamar Jackson from the Ravens, who are all but certain to use their franchise tag on the former MVP.
Carr has enjoyed an up-and-down run in Oakland and Vegas but offered the Raiders QB stability for the first time since Rich Gannon in the early 2000s. The JaMarcus Russell pick and Carson Palmer trade highlighted a wayward stretch between Gannon and Carr. The team is currently sitting in the No. 9 draft slot; multiple quarterbacks will likely be off the board by that point. Of course, moving Carr would give the team more assets to potentially climb in the draft. With Stidham (zero starts in New England) unlikely to be a true option for 2023, the Raiders will seemingly join the aforementioned teams in the QB market — provided they pull the trigger on a deal.
McDaniels’ previous HC stay — an eventful Denver tenure cut short before the end of his second season — featured him moving on from the team’s starting quarterback (Jay Cutler) just weeks into the polarizing HC’s stay. Multiple quarterbacks set for free agency — Brady, Garoppolo — have extensive pasts with the former Patriots OC. The Raiders potentially preparing to move on so soon after this year’s extension/trial balloon — and months after they acquired longtime Carr friend Davante Adams — will inject more intrigue into what promises to be another action-packed quarterback market.
I get being dissatisfied with Carr’s play, but for Stidham? Sounds like some McDaniels homerism.
More like possibly seeing what you have in Stidham before trading or releasing Carr next season to bring in Brady.
It has nothing to do with quality of play. They plan to cut Carr after the season but if he gets hurt the contract guarantees so he’s shut down
Cut?
No way they would outright cut him. Someone will trade for him.
No one is trading for Carr and his $32M next season. He’s getting cut
Doubt it. If Washington was willing to give up a 3rd and a conditional pick for Wentz with a $28.2M figure, then someone will give up something for a significantly better QB with less than $4M more of a cap charge.
How’s that working out for Washington ?
Bad, but it doesn’t matter, somebody will still do it. Carr is light years better than Wentz so if Wentz had multiple suitors willing to give up assets for him, then so will Carr. How well one transaction works will never stop teams from trying to upgrade their starting QB spot in the future.
He’s not getting cut. Traded maybe but not cut
If Derek Carr truly wants to be a raider he has the opportunity to do so all he has to do is tear up that contract go and talk to McDaniels and say let’s start over let’s get this taken care of sign a couple of one year contracts at 5 to 8 million dollars a year to prove that he can take the raiders to the super bowl then I’m with it have an out clause after each contract and if the raiders with Carr make the playoffs they’ll give them a 10 million bonus!!
Remember Derek Carr said he doesn’t want to play in any other uniform then Derek Carr needs to put his money where his mouth is tear up that contract and renegotiate to show that he’s worth being a raider and making the raiders successful if Derek Carr does that then I’m behind them he can get coached up McDaniels can bring in a quarterback coach and he can bring in a new defensive coordinator because the defensive coordinator now sucks!!!
If Carr gets injured no one is trading for him and the Raiders will have to pay his salary. If Carr plays worse the last two games (he’s in a funk), he only reduces his value.
McDaniels may be an anti-charismatic jerk, but this time he’s clearly making the right decision to get the most value out of Carr who probably won’t be back. McDaniels can still have Carr come back next year if that’s what he and Davis decide they want in the off-season.
I’m sorry to disagree with you but it has everything to do with this play it wasn’t McDaniels who did not hit Adams when he was 10 yards down the field in the open it was not McDaniels who threw the ball on the ground just because somebody was rushing at him and he had two men wide open it wasn’t McDaniels who threw the ball behind the receiver that was in the open running down in the middle of the field on the last play of the game that sealed the raiders fate it wasn’t McDaniels whose lack of accuracy and lack of getting the ball to the players for them to win or lose it was the quarterbacks the theme that Derek Carr needs is to play under center where his timing was great to stop the check-offs and to be mobile when necessary the raiders have everything necessary on offense to be effective on defense that’s another story but yes car was the problem and he was not coached up he needs to be coached up very much just so you know but he’s a good quarterback and whoever lands car if they called him up he’s going to be very effective….
This has to be a record for number of qbs started in one season. Off the top of my head: Steelers, Browns, Ravens, Jets (3), Pats, Dolphins, Texans, Colts (3), Titans, Broncos, Raiders, Bears, Commanders, Cowboys?, Eagles, Saints, Falcons, Panthers, Rams, Cardinals, 49ers. That’s 21 teams having started 2 or more qbs. Give or take if I missed any/ counted when I should have
Dolphins should have ‘(3)’ next to them also because I believe Skylar Thompson started a game. Rams, Cards & 49ers also had 3 starters. You can remove the question mark from the Cowboys since Cooper Rush covered for Dak for five games, I believe. There may be others. If you go beyond starters to QBs that have played, the Jets have had four as Streveler finished the last game.
It’s crazy. I don’t remember a year with this many different qbs
Were the Raiders eliminated by the Chargers’ victory or are there still any scenarios left?
I checked the “Playoff Machine.” The Raiders need to win both, while Miami and Pittsburgh lose both, the Jets lose to Seattle and the Patriots lose to Buffalo in order to make it in. The chances of all those things happening are fairly remote so it makes sense that those aren’t factoring into the coach’s decision.
Chargers didn’t, but Miami could. A Dolphins win on New Year’s morning eliminates Las Vegas before the Raiders take the field that afternoon.
A Dolphins win is definitely not a lock with their injuries. How funny would it be to have the Raiders back into the playoffs and have to bring back Carr?
Beating the Chiefs who are fighting for a #1 seed wouldn’t be backing in but I don’t think they have the kind of luck needed for all of the other things to happen, even if they are in Vegas.
Why? Stidham is horrible. Carr even at his worst is better than Stidham.
1. tanking
2. keep Carr in bubble wrap before trading him away
3. see if someone else can properly operate the offense
RCT you are wrong! Jarrett Stidham is better than Carr he throws the ball better he even runs out of the pocket he moves around in the pocket when necessary his balls are right on target it doesn’t take forever for the ball to come down out of the air when I receivers are 10 yards away from the defense and they finally catch up when the ball arrives how could you say that Carr is a better quarterback than Jarrett Stenham?
Will they shut down Adams next?!
Why would they shut down a receiver with close to 1300 yards receiving? Your attempt at sarcasm failed son
They absolutely should shut down Adams if they’re shutting down Carr. They know that their odds are >0.01%, so why risk injury to their star WR?
Amen!!!
They’re shutting down Carr, Jones and Perryman, why not Adams? They have nothing to gain by running him out there to pad his stats. Especially if they’re admittedly giving up on the albeit slim playoff chances by sitting the others.
My guess is he plays because of some contract/stats related nonsense, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he gets shut down for at least the final game of the season.
This move is to keep Carr healthy. He is guaranteed $40 million 4 days after the Super Bowl. If Carr is hurt they cannot release him.
Carr is done wearing Silver and Black.
Smart.
No need to get a trade candidate hurt during meaningless games.
Benching Carr is essentially for better draft position. But let’s call it evaluating the roster not tanking.
Carr most likely ends up in Carolina Tampa Jets even Indy. Unlikely but interesting would be Carr and Murray swapping locations or Dolphins moving on from Tua and Carr replacing him down in south beach, Tuas long term health has got to be on the dolphins mind and Murray may be losing favor in Arizona esp with new GM and new HC potentially coming in, plus the ACL injury.
If Carr can’t play in McDaniels system, Murray definitely can’t. Not that Murray is worse than Carr but if he already doesn’t watch film, study or have a good relationship with his team he won’t make it with LVR
Smart in the sense that they’ll try to preserve value…not smart in the sense that they’re once again treating a franchise starter like a rejected bridge journeyman.
Also not smart that the Raiders traded high level picks for a player that they supposedly wanted to reunite with his college teammate and friend…only to trade that teammate immediately afterward.
He’s started 91 straight and just now is useless? Sounds like skapegoating.
It is. They’re too poor (or stupid, possibly both) to fire McDaniels. Bowl head and Hoodie Jr aren’t going to take the blame, so it’s going to get dumped on Carr.
When they suck next year it’ll get real interesting, though
McCantcoachalick will be begging Brady to join them in the off-season, hoping Jerry Atric Brady can save his coaching career.
carr would be a perfect fit for the jets
McDaniels is the biggest problem on the Raiders not Carr.
This, 100% this.
Too bad Raider nation can’t bench and trade Josh and Mark, there the real problems with the team
I don’t think he’s having that bad of year, let’s be honest he’s not having a Russell Wilson type of year
Thank you, thank you and THANK YOU. Now I just need Cincy to beat Buffalo on Monday night.
Leads the league with 14 interceptions. Brett favre throwing 14 ints would be a good season for him. A testament to how boring the NFL has gotten.
So, you equate interceptions with excitement?
No I consider short passes and punting to maintain field positioning boring. Make sure you cheer next time your team runs it on 3rd and 15
You really have not been watching football for long if you think that running the ball on 3rd and 15 is something new. Brett Favre threw a lot of interceptions because he was a dumba$$ who would try to throw balls through defenders. It was a common thing for DCs around the league to tell their DBs to be ready to catch the ball when they played Favre because he would throw 2 to 3 balls to them each game.
Brett Favre threw 29 INT in 2005 and yet he was celebrated that season
And Rex Grossman was just as celebrated for his ability to “unleash the dragon” straight into the hands of an enemy DB.
Come the offseason
Let McDaniels pick a QB he’s familiar with in either Tom Brady or Jimmy G in FA.
Don’t draft in a guy to play QB, use whatever first round pick you have to grab a new corner.
And trade Derek Carr, I think the Giants would make sense or possibly New Orleans
Sadly the the eagles own the lowly saints 1st round pick.
I wouldn’t even want a first for him. I’d happily take a pair of 2nds and extras down the road or something.
Raiders don’t need a all these really talented young kids or future stars. They just need a better secondary that can defend against the pass, a QB obviously, and a some better protection for the QB but not a heap more
Saints don’t have any cap room for Carr. Thankfully.
Carr is what he is: an average to slightly above average QB. If that is all you want from your QB then he’s your guy. But when you are staring at having to compete against younger, better guys like Mahomes, Burrow, Allen, Herbert for the foreseeable future, average is not going to be enough if you want to win the AFC let alone a SB.
They have a below average coach. I disagree with your evaluation of Carr, but I’m not going to go into a whole thing on that. Hoodie Jr isn’t out coaching anyone in this league, and that ain’t changing… So what’s the point in worrying about any of those opposing QBs? Cheap owner, terrible coaching… The franchise is doomed.
You said “Hoodie Jr”…lol
Sure, it is… especially if a team’s defense is elite. Look at some QBs who have won Super Bowls: Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson, Nick Foles, Jim McMahon, Mark Rypien, Jeff Hostetler, etc. There have only been 55 Super Bowls, so in just naming those six guys, it would show that just over one in 10 Super Bowl winners have a slightly above average or worse starting QB at the helm. And I’m sure there are others who would be considered slightly above average or worse who have made the Super Bowl and even won it (Joe Flacco, perhaps?).
Carr to the Jets would be fantastic: good, young weapons for him to get the ball to and a top 4 scoring defense to allow him to not have to do too much.
The Jets are not taking on a big cap hit to trade for a Raiders legend. Even the NYC tabloids can occasionally figure out crackpot thinking.
I mean, yeah, the odds don’t exactly favor the Jets making that trade, but I wouldn’t rule them out. We have no idea of Joe Douglas’ thinking at this point though. He probably needs to make sure he upgrades that position sooner than later.
As for your tabloid comment: that’s meaningless. The Jets aren’t making or not making moves based on the paper’s opinion.
The Jets don’t need to trade for the Raiders QB, they can draft their own. After they draft another one, he’ll get beat out by Mike White too, making it three first round quarterbacks he’s outperformed.
Lol absolutely not. It’s time to help a young, controllable core win before it’s time to pay guys. Trying to do it with a rookie or Mike White is terrible management.
You’re absolutely correct but I think car can be coached up to be effective his passes he have to take the air out of his passes he has to stop checking off at the line and he needs to follow the playbook and the plays accordingly so that the effective players can do their effective jobs with their effective skills sets but car has to give the players an opportunity which many times he does not so yes he is an average quarterback everybody think he’s better than that but he’s not he has to change the way he throws the ball he has to change the way he looks at the field he doesn’t look at the field correctly Adams have been in the open too many times so has renfro since he came back.. did you see that throw car wasn’t under pressure renfro was in the middle of the field and open ass can be and he could not hit him the ball was behind him and almost intercepted by a guy that was 10 yd away coming into renfro had he threw that ball perfectly to renfro renfro would have made a touchdown if not we still could have won the game but no Carr through the ball badly poorly disgustingly awful
Admittedly I’m a Carr fan and he is one of my all time favorite Raiders so take this with a grain of salt:
He is a top 10 QB in the league who has been through more than anyone else (how many head coaches, OC’s and schemes?) if he goes to a functional franchise with stability, I think it significantly improves his chances of getting a Super Bowl.
If he was a solid QB in the past and last year with everything that went on, I don’t see him as being the root of the problem this year. I stick it squarely on the coaches and Gm.
The guy has shown that with a respectable line he can make every throw and win games on his own. He’s also never had a respectable defense in his career to back him up either.
This is a terrible day in my eyes and a low point in my 30+ years of raider fan hood, which is saying a lot.
It’s a terrible day in my eyes, too. I’m done with this team this season. I have no reason to watch or care anymore. This is a stupid move.
If they move on from Carr, there’s a good chance Adams wants out too. And in that event, maybe I’m just done with this team period. I like Carr. I don’t like this New England West coaching regime, and I’m tired of Carr getting blamed for the utter stupidity and ineptitude of the higher ups running this franchise for decades now. The ownership sucks. The coaching sucks. It’ll probably be another 20 year rebuild next.
Possibly just as much a flashy/marketing move as it is a performance/personnel move. Looks like Raiders are at the bottom of home attendance numbers this year. What!!!!? The league will not tolerate this. This is Vegas, BABY! Raiders going for Lamar and his “high wire act”? LJ leaving the Ravens is a real topic of conversion locally here in Baltimore.
Derek Carr is the Tony Romo of his generation. Blamed for everything, credited with nothing.
Sounds like there playing for draft position and tanking with Stidham who I can’t believe he still has a job in the league
I wonder if they could move the 9 pick and Carr to jump in the top 5
I am hoping Seattle trades their pick but for picks next year. We don’t want Carr just your first next year with a few more.
The QB class next year is a lot better than this year. I could see us trading the 9 pick again for picks next year. Have 3 1st rnd picks would allow us to move just about anywhere we want.
I hope that Geno is not tagged or signed to a huge contract. Then the trading of Wilson becomes less of a win. We trade Wilson because we don’t want to pay top money then sign a backup that had a really good first half of the season then an avg second.
I imagine the luster has worn off Geno since the old article they are getting info from. He was worth a decent salary then but no so anymore. Let another team over pay ride with Lock next year and draft a better QB next year than you will get this year.
“We don’t want Carr just your first next year with a few more.”
When did John Schneider say this?
“The QB class next year is a lot better than this year.”
People say this every year.
The rest I agree with for the most part except I believe Seattle should get a legit QB sooner than later.
Not that Carr is blameless, he isn’t, but the first thing the Raiders should be cutting is McDaniels and his oversized ego. This makes about as much sense as McDaniels wearing a headband with no hat in -10 degree wind chills Saturday night in Pittsburgh.
You can’t get brain freeze if you don’t have a brain.
Hey guys understand car wasn’t the only problem of the raiders and McDaniels is not the problem of the raiders he just have to have a leader to work that proficient offense that he has it’s a book that absolutely proven to be successful very successful so you need someone who can understand the playbook and follow it and not check off another thing Josh McDaniels does not throw the ball if you look at the film car had too many weaknesses and he need to be coached up I think we can go to the super bowl with car but he needs to be coached up now if car is not willing to be coached up then he needs to leave he needs to go