Las Vegas Raiders rumors: Deshaun Watson, Derek Carr mega-trade in the works?
The Las Vegas Raiders just saw Derek Carr play extremely well this season but there are rumors they could turn that into a Deshaun Watson trade.
Leading up to the 2020 season, there had been rampant speculation regarding the future of Derek Carr with the Las Vegas Raiders for well over a year. The 2014 second-round pick, however, answered those calls by performing at possibly the highest level of his career. So, go figure, that might be what actually leads to him being shown the door by the silver and black.
According to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, unnamed league sources believe that Carr’s 2020 season could lead to a hefty trade market for him this offseason. Moreover, the Raiders are expected to field those calls, some of which reportedly could approach the price tag of two first-round picks in exchange for Carr.
If that weren’t tasty enough, though, Bonsignore noted that the Raiders would not make such a trade with Carr if they didn’t have the ability to upgrade. And that’s where the second part of the equation could come into play — namely, that’s how Deshaun Watson could end up in Las Vegas.
Should the Raiders find a trade partner that wants Carr, they could, in turn, orchestrate a massive three-team trade that would bring Watson to Las Vegas, send Carr to the third team and send a bevy of draft picks to the Houston Texans.
How likely is it that the Las Vegas Raiders trade away Derek Carr and land Deshaun Watson?
Frankly, this is not the most likely scenario in play. Bonsignore said as much in his report, stating that the highest probability is that Derek Carr is the quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2021 season. But the fact that there’s a non-zero chance that Watson could end up in the silver and black while Carr is moved as well is fascinating.
There’s no shortage of teams that are in the market for a quarterback this offseason — and that market is even more fierce now that Matthew Stafford has already been traded to the Rams. So if the Raiders believe they can make a strong play for Watson, then they should have their pick of who they would like to send Carr to.
Moreover, Las Vegas is not far from competing in a big way. They’ve been inconsistent, especially on defense. But as they continue to move to improve that side of the ball, the offense has found itself with Carr. Throw in an upgrade at quarterback with Watson and they could be even more dangerous and, thus, have a higher ceiling.
We’re in an offseason that’s likely going to headlined by unprecedented quarterback movement throughout the league. And though they didn’t seem to be an initial player, the Las Vegas Raiders now getting involved only makes things more complicated, interesting and entertaining.