It’s the NFL offseason, and for Las Vegas Raiders fans, that means one thing is certain: Derek Carr trade rumors. One expert believes he could be on the move, possibly to the Indianapolis Colts.
Derek Carr to the Colts?
The face of the franchise…
The Derek Carr story has been told many times. Selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, he was named the starter in his rookie year and the team has never looked back. Since then, Carr has become the most accomplished passer in the history of the franchise. The Raiders’ all-time leader in both passing yards and touchdowns, he has also been selected to three Pro Bowl teams. In 2021, he had perhaps his finest season yet, with 4,804 yards passing and 23 touchdowns.Â
Despite leading the team to the playoffs for the second time in 2021, there are still many who believe he just isn’t a winner. With a quarterback record of 57-70 and two playoff appearances in eight seasons, the detractors aren’t necessarily wrong. In many cases, franchise quarterbacks are much more successful. It is due to this that many believe it is time for the Raiders to hit the reset button. After all, nothing is worse than quarterback purgatory.
Where could Derek Carr go?
In an article written by Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports, he predicts many veteran passers to end up in new homes. One of them is Carr whom he has getting traded to the Indianapolis Colts. He writes:
“Probably the boldest of all the moves here, this one runs counter to public compliments from new Raiders coach Josh McDaniels, who may very well be exploring an extension for Carr. But is he really ready to sign a lucrative long-term commitment to a veteran he’s yet to coach?”
He also acknowledges that Carr is a passer who is good enough to keep the Colts in the playoff hunt. This would be a huge positive for the Colts as well. Carr is simply a much better player than Carson Wentz, and he offers much less volatility.
Is it worth it?
For the Raiders, however, this is a dangerous move. With no suitable replacement on the roster, the Raiders would have to look towards the draft. There aren’t many appealing options there either. So where does that leave the Raiders? Since a Carr trade would almost certainly net Las Vegas a first-round pick, they would have to use those picks to trade up for their favorite prospect in April’s draft.
Currently, the Raiders have a decent young core. Coming off a playoff berth where they took the AFC champions to the wire, they likely feel good about their starter. As such, expect Carr to be back in Silver and Black in 2022.
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*Top Photo: Chris Unger/Getty Images
