Jacksonville Jaguars: Trade for Derek Carr a must

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ Super Bowl window is closing fast. A trade for Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr may prolong that window.

Going into the 2018 season, the Jacksonville Jaguars were early favorites to return to the AFC Championship Game — along with the Pittsburgh Steelers and, of course, the New England Patriots. But after a disappointing 3-4 start to the season, the Jaguars’ window for success appears to be closing rather quickly. In a crowded AFC South division, it may be time to make a move.

The continued struggles of quarterback Blake Bortles has hampered the entire Jacksonville offense to the point that head coach Doug Marrone benched Bortles for Cody Kessler in Sunday’s loss to the Houston Texans. Over his career, Bortles has a completion rate of 59.2 and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 1.38 (99-72). His career passer rating currently stands at 80.7.

Have they not seen enough? It’s time the Jaguars permanently bench Bortles and bring in a bonafide starting-caliber quarterback. Enter Derek Carr.

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past month-and-a-half, the Oakland Raiders have been cleaning house in the wake of new head coach Jon Gruden wanting to build the team in his own mold. They’ve dealt away star pass rusher Khalil Mack and two-time Pro Bowl receiver Amari Cooper for a combined three first-round picks.

Despite dealing away core pieces of his team, Gruden insists the Raiders are done trading. That being said, it was just one week ago that Gruden stated he had no knowledge of any Cooper trade rumors.

It appears Gruden is playing a cat and mouse game with the media. With the trade deadline fast approaching, can we really trust anything he says?

Derek Carr appears to be a viable trade candidate for any teams interested, even though Gruden denied wanting to trade anyone else at the moment, per ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. Behind a shallow facade, it’s undeniable any player would probably be available for the right price, so why wouldn’t the Jaguars at least inquire on Carr’s price tag?

His career stats currently stand at 110 touchdowns and 52 interceptions (2.12 TD:INT ratio), with a 62.3 completion rate and an 87.7 passer rating — a definite upgrade from Blake Bortles.

So, Jacksonville, what are you waiting for? The rest of the team is strong in nearly every area – especially on the defensive side of the ball — and it’s clear the quarterback position is the biggest thing holding them back.

There’s still time to inquire on Carr’s status. The probability of a future first-round quarterback panning out and becoming as good as or better than Carr is extremely thin. Your move, Jacksonville.