Every year, it appears, the annual carousel of rumors and hearsay surrounding Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr begins. Obviously, it has never amounted to anything. With that being said, will 2023 be a different scenario? It’s possible given all of the stories that have surfaced surrounding Carr’s future with the Silver and Black.
How much of the 2022 season lands on Derek Carr?
In Carr’s defense, a lot has gone wrong for the Raiders this season. The consistent theme of blown leads has haunted this team to no end. In fact, you have to wonder where this would be had it not been for Josh McDaniels’ lack of adjustments. Also, many of the key players on offense have battled injuries, most notably Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow. You can also add on the complexity of McDaniels’ playbook and game plan on top of all that. Needless to say, the team simply didn’t deliver for most of the year, save for that three-game streak. Now, looking at it objectively, the Raiders have certainly been playing better lately, but is it too little, too late?
Is Tom Brady done in Tampa Bay?
The other side of the coin in Pro Football Focus’ idea is Tom Brady’s future. Clearly on the downside of his career, no one knows what Brady will decide for next season. He could retire, sure. However, knowing the competitor that Brady is, it’s doubtful he’d want to go out the way he’s about to this year. The real question is whether the Bucs’ brain trust believes Carr is worth a first-round pick for his services. According to PFF, Las Vegas would receive a first and third round pick in 2023. All things considered, that’s quite the haul. Let’s remember, though, that this is just a trade idea proposed by the publication. As Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal stated, Carr’s future will hinge on how he performs down the final stretch.
For those of you who might’ve forgotten, the Raiders specifically structured Carr’s contract so that there could be an out. So far, no official indication has been given by the organization. With only a few weeks left in the regular season, it’s unlikely we’ll hear anything about Carr’s destiny any time soon. Many Raiders fans point to Davante Adams mentioning that Carr was the reason he came to the Raiders. While that’s technically true, he’s never said, “If Carr leaves, I go.” It’s certainly a strange hill to die on for Carr apologists, but I digress.
What’s interesting is that you have many of the major publications covering the Raiders with feet on the ground reporting and piggybacking off of the aforementioned Carr story. In years past, most beat writers were dismissive of such conversations surrounding Carr.
It’s going to be an interesting offseason, for sure.
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*Top Photo: NFL.com
