Raiders’ Head Coach Josh McDaniels announced on Wednesday that Jarret Stidham would be the starter for the last two games of the regular season. Therefore, Derek Carr is being sent to the bench, possibly ending his tenure as the Raiders quarterback.
The nine-year veteran signed a three-year, $121.5 million extension this past offseason, but the structure of the contract allows Las Vegas to escape the deal as soon as this offseason. Carr is guaranteed $40.4 million in 2023 if not released or traded by March. The Raiders will only surrender a $5 million cap hit in 2023 if they pull the trigger on a cut or trade of Carr this offseason. The 31-year-old quarterback has a no-trade clause in his contract.
Carr is also guaranteed his 2023 salary if he is injured, so that is another plausible reason why the Raiders are benching Carr for the remainder of the season.
With that being said, there are a number of teams who could be interested in Carr’s services for next season, and there are reasons for and against making a trade for Carr for each team.
Derek Carr 2023 destinations: Washington Commanders
The Commanders have been in search of a consistent quarterback for quite some time now, and Derek Carr could be that answer for Washington.
Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke have done close to nothing to prove that they are the surefire answer, and although Carr has some question marks, he is clearly an upgrade. In addition, Heinicke will be a free agent after this season, and the Commanders can clear all of Wentz’s $26.2 million cap hit in 2023. By eliminating that number from their payroll, the Commanders will have $46 million in cap space, opening up enough space for Carr’s $40 million cap hit.
With Washington currently fighting for a playoff spot at 7-7-1, and currently positioned at pick 21, the Commanders will not have an opportunity to draft a quarterback better than Carr, at this moment.
Drafting a quarterback would also signal a possible change at head coach, and if Ron Rivera is still the head man in 2023, there is little chance of Washington drafting a quarterback. Hiring a head coach would open the door to the organization drafting a quarterback, but the mid-late first-round pick would still make it difficult for the Commanders to draft a ready-now quarterback.
The one thing the Commanders need at the quarterback position is stability. Carr has had a down season with 14 interceptions, but it can be argued that Carr has not been paired with a defense like the Commanders possess. It is not a lockdown defense, but it is a formidable defense with young talent that is still gelling together. Washington has a strong front seven but struggles on the back end.
Regardless, Carr will be complemented by Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson and a defense that is an upgrade over the Raiders’ current situation.
Money and roster construction makes a lot of sense for Carr to fit with this team. If the Commanders had a higher pick in the 2023 draft, this would be a totally different conversation. It also has to be seen what happens with Rivera, but right now, the Commanders are certainly a potential fit for Derek Carr.
Derek Carr 2023 destinations: Indianapolis Colts
This landing spot makes sense if the Colts truly believe that Carr is the best option regardless of free agents and draft prospects available.
If the season had ended today, the Colts would hold the fifth overall pick in the 2023 draft. Indianapolis also has $33 million in cap space to work with.
This could be a great spot for Carr, and if the Colts choose to go this route, it would make a lot of sense. The problem is that the Colts have been experimenting with the quarterback carousel ever since Andrew Luck’s sudden retirement. It clearly has not worked, and Indianapolis may be ready to draft and develop a quarterback.
Assuming Bryce Young goes first overall, C.J. Stroud and Will Levis make a lot of sense for the Colts if they decide to draft a quarterback. There is still a chance that the Colts rise up to pick three or four, barring what happens the last two weeks of the regular season.
If the Colts forgo the draft and develop process, Carr is a top option among the veteran signal callers that will most likely be available this offseason.
Derek Carr 2023 destinations: New York Jets
The Jets are another one of those teams that have exceeded expectations in 2022 and find themselves in the mid-late portion of the draft if the season ended today.
New York is 7-8, batting for a wild card spot, and would probably be safely in a playoff spot if it were not for Zach Wilson’s disastrous play.
Robert Salah and the Jets simply need a quarterback that can functionally run an offense, something that Wilson has yet to show he can do. Derek Carr would not be asked to play outside the structure of the offense or be ‘Superman’, as the Jets’ defense will hold down its own against opposing offenses. All this team is a quarterback that can effectively complement this defense.
This move also makes a lot of sense for a team that has a lot of pieces to contend for the playoffs, as seen by this season. But, as long as the quarterback position is not solved, it will be difficult for this defense to continue to carry the load.
Through 15 games this season, the Jets‘ defense has allowed 18.8 points per game, ranking fourth in the league. Carr would not have to score points at a high volume, allowing him to play within the offense and move the ball efficiently.
Offensively, Carr would be surrounded by Garrett Wilson, Elijah Moore, Breece Hall, and other solid weapons that will make his job much easier. The Jets have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL. They just need that quarterback that will not screw things up.
Derek Carr 2023 destinations: New York Giants
The team that shares a stadium with the Jets could also be interested in Carr with its 2022 starting quarterback currently not on the 2023 roster.
Daniel Jones has had an OK season with 13 touchdowns, five interceptions, and a little over 3,000 yards through 15 games. It is pretty obvious that he is not the answer for the Giants, and he was not inherited by Brian Daboll and this new regime. The Giants declined Jones’ fifth-year option, making the 25-year-old quarterback a free agent this offseason.
Carr will most likely be a more expensive option for the Giants, but like a couple of other teams in this discussion, the Giants are surprisingly in the playoff discussion at this point in the season. Not only are the Giants in the playoff discussion, but they currently hold a wild card spot with two weeks to play.
New York does not have the luxury of having a top-10 pick, although picking in the 20s would be a breath of fresh air for an organization that wants to be playing in the postseason.
Carr is not a superstar quarterback, but he is better than Jones, and Daboll has shown that he can elevate his signal caller’s play.
The one problem with this team is the lack of weapons, but that can easily be addressed in free agency and the draft. The Giants also have a solid defense that is young and still developing. In the NFC, all you need is solid quarterback play, and Carr has been mostly solid throughout his career.
With $59 million in cap space and nine draft picks in the upcoming draft, the Giants have a great opportunity to rejuvenate their roster.
This is not a long-term move for the Giants, but it could keep New York moving in the right direction before possibly drafting a franchise quarterback in 2024 or 2025, letting that player sit behind Carr for a year before stepping in as the franchise signal caller.