After nine seasons, Derek Carr's time with the Raiders appears to be nearing its end.
Carr was unceremoniously benched with two games remaining in the 2022 season, laying the groundwork for a departure. The Raiders have been expected to explore trade options involving the veteran quarterback since the start of 2023, but there's been little movement on that front to this point.
Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler believes it will only be a matter of time before the phone starts ringing.
"I think here this week at the Senior Bowl, obviously everybody's here. This is a good time to have those conversations," Ziegler said Thursday in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio. "There's going to be people interested in Derek Carr. There's no doubt about that. He's been a good football player in this league for quite some time. Like I said, he's a phenomenal human being, and we'll kind of see where it goes."
Carr has indeed been a good football player, but he's no longer good enough for the Raiders' long-term plans. Be it a lack of consistency or a poor fit with head coach Josh McDaniels, Carr never quite found his stride in their first season working together in 2022, finishing with his worst passer rating since his rookie season of 2014. The addition of Carr's old college teammate and close friend, receiver Davante Adams, produced a 1,500-yard, 14-touchdown season, but it didn't open up the Raiders' offense enough to propel Las Vegas back to the postseason.
Sensing the need to move in a different direction, McDaniels pulled the parachute early by benching Carr in favor of backup Jarrett Stidham. Soon, the Raiders will be tasked with finding a viable replacement for Carr.
But first, they'll need to find a trade partner for their longtime QB.
“I have a no-trade clause," Carr told NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe at the Pro Bowl Games. "And there’s a date that certain money is guaranteed or I’m a free agent. So, I’m just gonna be honest about the whole thing. There has been conversations with Dave (Ziegler) and my agent and me. We’ll figure that out. But for me, I’m just being patient. I’m going to do what’s best for myself. I’m going to do what’s best for my family. And (I) don’t care what the optics are or anything like that. I can pick this or do that, it’s kind of fun to be able to do whatever you want for once.”
Carr signed a three-year, $120.5 million extension with the Raiders last April, securing his services with the team beyond the 2022 season while also providing Las Vegas with an exit route if necessary. The Raiders have since deemed it as such and will carry less than $6 million in dead cap depending on the timing of a move.
Las Vegas can part with Carr via trade, but could also cut him if it can't field a legitimate offer. The latter scenario seems less likely, especially when considering the need for starter-level talent at the position elsewhere.
As for what Carr is looking for, he told Wolfe the following: “Just a team that’s all in on winning the Super Bowl. I think that, to me, I just want to win. I’ve thrown for the numbers. Been to the Pro Bowls. … For me, I’m just looking for a team that has the pieces, and if I was to add to anything that I could add, hopefully we could be one of those teams to try and go do that.”
A number of teams -- the New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers, just to name a few -- could be dialing Ziegler soon enough.
"Derek's a phenomenal player, too, and a phenomenal human being," Ziegler said. "Obviously, we have some things, some dominoes to fall, and some things that we have to look at relative to his situation and our quarterback situation going forward in '23. But no position is as important as the quarterback position. You all know that, everybody knows that. So we're gonna be putting a lot of work in on that front and kind of see how it all plays out here."
Last offseason included a number of significant moves at the position in what proved to be a wild offseason of change. Considering the talent expected to be available, this offseason could be even crazier.
Carr will be among the headlining players anticipated to be on the move. We'll see who presents an offer to Ziegler in the weeks ahead.