HENDERSON, Nev. — Now what Derek Carr has been cut by the only NFL team the veteran quarterback has ever known, where do the Las Vegas Raiders go from here?
These waters haven’t been navigated recently by the franchise, which has had Carr as its primary starter since winning the rookie job in training camp in 2014. Consider: Carr has missed two regular-season games and one regular-season game. playoff due to injury since: replaced by Matt McGloin in the 2016 finale after Carr suffered a broken right ankle, and by EJ Manuel in Week 5 of the 2017 season after Carr suffered broken bones in the right back. And it was Connor Cook who started the 2016 wild-card round playoff game in Houston as Carr recovered from surgery.
So while these are rough waters for the Raiders, their compass should point to one of two destinations: landing their Moby Dick, a high-priced future Hall of Famer who will bring his own baggage, or playing it safe and sign someone who knows the system while looking to the future.
One possibility of Moby Dick was tom brady, who was scheduled to become a free agent. Instead, he retreated, forcing the Raiders to pivot.
Then yes, Aaron Rogers now it’s that big whale, the one that got away in 2005 when the Raiders drafted cornerback Fabian Washington 23rd overall, one pick ahead of Rodgers, who went to the Green Bay Packers. Acquiring Rodgers, who is also supposed to be targeted by the New York Jets, would be expensive. And not only in capital draft and / or consolidated players. According to numerous reports, Green Bay could command up to a first-round pick and a conditional third-round pick that could turn into a second-round pick. The Packers also reportedly further that interested in the tight end Darren Waller at the trade deadline last season.
And that’s just to complete the trade and doesn’t take into account Rodgers’ salary or the salary cap. Rodgers signed a three-year, $150 million extension last March that included two voidable years, in 2025 and 2026, and has a $58.3 million bonus option for 2023 that is fully guaranteed, according to ESPN Packers reporter Rob Demovsky. The Packers can exercise the option anytime between the first day of the 2023 league year, March 15, and the day before the Packers’ season opener.
And with the option making up the bulk of Rodgers’ pay, which totals $59.515 million this year, his timing matters because Green Bay would no doubt want the team that acquires him to pay for it. Rodgers also has an unsecured $49 million due in 2024.
As it stands now, Rodgers has cap numbers of more than $31.6 million for 2023 and $40.7 million for 2024, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
That’s a lot to pay for even a four-time MVP, but especially for a guy who’s turning 40 before the end of next season and coming off a bad year: His total QBR of 39.3 was a career low as a starter, at same as his 3,695. passing yards for an entire season. Add in the fact that Rodgers is as headstrong as he is talented and inexperienced in Raiders coach Josh McDaniels’ system, and you have to wonder if they’d be a good fit.
Still, Rodgers would meet with the All-Pro catcher davante adamswho has advocated for Rodgers to come to Las Vegas, as have Waller and the All-Pro running back joseph jacobswho is also a pending free agent after the Raiders declined his fifth-year option last offseason.
That’s a lot to spend on what might just be a two-year deal in a division that has the defending Super Bowl champions in the Kansas City Chiefs, another playoff team with a young franchise quarterback in the Los Angeles Chargers and a Super Bowl winner. coach with the Denver Broncos. Money that many would say would be wiser for the Raiders to spend on bolstering the defense and offensive line while protecting as many as 11 draft picks, including the No. 7 overall pick.
That would mean going cheaper, much cheaper than Rodgers at QB and looking for a free agent (no need to trade assets this route), perhaps someone already familiar with McDaniels’ system.
Jimmy Garoppolo He may be seen by many as a lateral move for Carr, but he grew up in McDaniels’ system with the New England Patriots, though he last played in 2016, and, well, he wins. Garoppolo’s 40-17 career record as a starter dwarfs Carr’s 63-79 mark. Durability would be the main issue, but Garoppolo, who has missed 28 games over the past three seasons, shouldn’t command the $40.4 million. in cash the Raiders saved by waiving Carr. Las Vegas could then attack the offensive line and defense while re-signing Jacobs.
Then there’s the backup quarterback Jarret Stidham, who went toe-to-toe with the NFL’s No. 1 defense in his first NFL start after Carr was benched and left the team, passing for 365 yards and three touchdown passes in a loss at time extra 37-34 against the San Francisco 49ers. He then scared the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs early.
If nothing else, Stidham provided a template as he looked more comfortable in McDaniels’ system in two starts than Carr did in 15. However, Stidham is also hitting free agency and has performed well, especially in the Raiders’ locker room. He would come at a fraction of the cost of Rodgers or Garoppolo and there would be no learning curve since he’s already as versed in offense as his teammates know.
The wild card, then, is this: With that No. 7 pick, and possibly as many as 11 picks in total, will the Raiders fall for any of the top three QB prospects: Ohio State? C.J. StroudAlabama young bryce or from kentucky will levis — enough to maneuver themselves to draft one of them? Going from being an established veteran to recruiting Tim Tebow didn’t go well for McDaniels in his last stint as head coach in Denver. Or are they going the bridge route, with a more stocked and better-regarded QB class in 2024?
Whichever path the Raiders take this offseason will provide a clue.