Thoughts on Derek Carr’s future and his next team

Jan 25, 2023 - 8:17 PM

The Derek Carr saga with the Las Vegas Raiders should have some clarity within the next three weeks and it appears his trade market may be developing.

ESPN recently reported that the current leaders for Carr — who is leaving the Raiders after nine seasons — include the New Orleans Saints, New York Jets and Washington Commanders.

Let’s dig a little more into each team and its possible interest in Carr and whether he would be interested in waiving his no-trade clause with them:

New Orleans

Carr would come full circle with this one. The Saints’ head coach, of course, is Dennis Allen, who was the Raiders’ coach when Carr was drafted. He lasted four games in 2014 before being fired. Carr has talked well of Allen and would likely be comfortable with him. With the NFC South not being a strong division in and with the Saints have some ability and weapons on offense and on defense, Carr may be interested in going to New Orleans and feel good about competing in the division and in the NFC.

New York:

The Jets are desperate to upgrade from 2021 draft bust Zach Wilson and are very much in the veteran-quarterback market. This is a good roster other than at quarterback. Carr could help the Jets, who visit Las Vegas in 2023, make a run in the AFC. That would likely appeal to Carr. But it’s not known if he would feel comfortable in the New York market. The New York media scene could be a culture shock for Carr, but on the field, this pairing makes sense.

Washington:

Like in New Orleans, Carr would reunite with another former head coach. Jack Del Rio, who was the Raiders’ head coach from 2015-17, is Washington’s defensive coordinator. Carr had his best season (2016) under Del Rio’s guidance. Of course, Carr wouldn’t work directly under Del Rio in Washington, but there would be an initial comfort level that could appeal to him. Washington has a solid roster and could be a quarterback away from longterm success. However, Carr’s brother David has stated that Derek is looking for stability from the ownership down in his next franchise. With Daniel Snyder being under constant scrutiny, it’s difficult to say the Commanders have stability at the ownership level. Perhaps that would give Carr pause as he navigates his future.

Conclusion:

There will likely be other teams in the Carr mix as well. But these three teams is a good starting point. There are reasons each team would appeal to Carr, so it shows that the Raiders will likely find a trade partner that he agrees with and will approve, which will allow Las Vegas to get trade compensation as they end their nine-season relationship with their former quarterback.