Derek Carr is going to help some NFL team win some games in 2023, but it won’t be the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders are getting ready to move on from their soon-to-be-former franchise quarterback. Whether or not you agree with this ridiculous decision by Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler is irrelevant at this point. What’s relevant is where we could see Carr playing in 2023.
As we look at potential fits, you can’t help but think it’s a little incomplete as teams are still putting together plans to hire new head coaches, but even those teams will be considered on this list before we know for sure who they will hire. Derek Carr’s contract includes a no-trade clause, which means he will have some say in where he ultimately lands. He and his agent were extremely wise to put that in the contract with Josh McDaniels at the helm.
Where will Carr be playing in 2023?
7 teams for Derek Carr in the 2023 season
Derek Carr’s top landing spots in 2023: Indianapolis Colts
You know what the Indianapolis Colts need? Another castoff quarterback, that’s what. In all seriousness, Derek Carr might be the best long-term option at the quarterback position the Colts would have invested in since they drafted Andrew Luck in 2012.
Otherwise, this team has truly been going year-to-year with the likes of Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, and most recently Matt Ryan. We’ve all seen how that worked out for all parties.
But regardless of the fact that right now the Colts don’t have a head coach, Derek Carr could be an important piece of their particular puzzle. This is a team that can run the ball well, they have a strong defense, and they have some interesting weapons on the offensive side of the ball at the skill positions.
They might not have Davante Adams, but Derek Carr could excel with the players the Colts have. They just need the right coach in place.
Derek Carr’s top 7 fits in 2023: Washington Commanders
For my money, the Commanders offer one of the better situations around the NFL right now when it comes to the players they will be surrounding their next quarterback with. Of course, unless teams call the Raiders’ bluff and offer nothing for him, waiting for the Raiders to maybe cut him, they’re going to have to give something up to get him in terms of draft compensation.
As of right now, however, the Washington Commanders seem very ready to welcome a player like Carr to their lineup to help some of their skill talent shine:
- RBs: Antonio Gibson, Brian Robinson Jr.
- WRs: Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Curtis Samuel
- TEs: Logan Thomas, John Bates
Although the Commanders could ultimately do plenty of tinkering to the roster in 2023, the skill positions are set up nicely for a quarterback Like Derek Carr to come in and have instant success.
We all know Ron Rivera is probably going into the 2023 season on a bit of thin ice with the team even though they have made the playoffs once under his watch, and that means this team can’t necessarily go into the 2023 offseason banking on Carson Wentz or even talented young Sam Howell as the starting option at QB.
Derek Carr would at least represent a big swing at the position in an offseason where quite a few intriguing QBs could become available.
Derek Carr’s top 7 fits in 2023: New York Jets
The New York Jets are not wasting any time making changes already in 2023. Although he wasn’t the problem with the offense, the Jets let go of offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, who will quickly land on his feet, perhaps even with DeMeco Ryans’ new staff if he gets hired on as the next head coach of some NFL team.
Ultimately, there were two primary issues with the Jets’ offense in 2022, and one is the fault of GM Joe Douglas. First of all, the injury to Breece Hall really crushed the team’s momentum as they were rolling to a potential playoff appearance, ending the longest current drought in the NFL.
Second, the lack of development from Zach Wilson — which could reflect somewhat on LaFleur — has been a hindrance to this team. It kept the Jets out of the playoffs in 2022. Wilson made more headlines for his off-field antics regarding teammates’ moms than he did for positive play in 2022.
Because Wilson has failed to develop, the progression the Jets have seen under head coach Robert Saleh has been capped with a ceiling. This team is growing, but it’s growing with a big thorn at the QB spot.
A veteran like Derek Carr could come in and really stabilize this organization. The AFC East has grown to be very tough in recent years, but the Jets could be a contender in that division with a signal caller like Carr getting the ball to Garrett Wilson, Elijah Moore, and Corey Davis.
Derek Carr top 7 team fits for 2023: New Orleans Saints
One team that’s not being talked about as much as others in the QB derby that is about to be the 2023 NFL offseason is the New Orleans Saints.
We’ve seen the Saints pretty well maximize some unique situations at the quarterback positions in recent years, such as:
- Jameis Winston coming off a 30-interception season
- Taysom Hill who has floated between QB and “tight end”
- The ghost of Andy Dalton
The post-Drew Brees era is not exactly off to a roaring start in New Orleans, but there is reason to believe this team could take a huge leap forward in 2023 with someone like Derek Carr at the helm. It looks like Dennis Allen will be back for the Saints as their head coach. The team could receive some nice compensation for Sean Payton in a trade soon, and could in turn use that trade compensation to acquire someone like Carr.
The Saints need to get Michael Thomas healthy. They saw Chris Olave have a predictably great rookie season. Juwan Johnson emerged with seven touchdowns in 2022. Alvin Kamara is obviously a massive part of the passing game.
There’s a lot to work with in New Orleans and Carr could thrive in a division that is wide open.
Derek Carr top 7 team fits in 2023: Atlanta Falcons
Speaking of the NFC South being “wide open”, how about the Atlanta Falcons as an option for Derek Carr in 2023 and beyond?
General manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Arthur Smith did a good job of putting together a competent enough crew in 2022 that we actually saw Marcus Mariota have a measure of success for a streak of time with Atlanta. This is the same Mariota that Smith was part of benching in 2019 when they were both members of the Tennessee Titans.
Drake London was as-advertised in his rookie season with the Falcons. You obviously expect that Kyle Pitts will continue to take steps forward as one of the top young tight ends in the game. You have Tyler Allgeier coming off of a 1,000-yard season in his rookie year and Cordarrelle Patterson who has become one of the league’s most versatile NFL weapons.
The Falcons definitely need more pieces in the passing game but they have a good foundation right now and they need a quarterback to come in and elevate what they’ve got. The big question for this team in the 2023 offseason will be how much they buy into the future of Desmond Ridder and how he potentially impacts their plans going forward.
Ridder showed pretty well in the opportunities he was given down the stretch late in the season, but it took him until his fourth game to record a touchdown. Would the Falcons pass on a guy like Carr to roll with Ridder? It may not boil down to that, but it might be something they have to consider.
Derek Carr top 7 team fits in 2023: Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans cannot go into the 2023 season banking on anything out of Ryan Tannehill. As a matter of fact, I feel like it’s going to be much more likely than not that Tannehill will be one of the quarterbacks in the NFL right now looking for a new team come March (or sooner).
The Titans have found themselves in a unique “window” of opportunity. Mike Vrabel has been such a good coach that this Titans team has been in the playoff mix every year since 2019. Vrabel has pulled all of the right strings, it seems like, but there’s been some unrest recently in Tennessee after the team decided to trade one of its biggest stars — AJ Brown — to the Philadelphia Eagles.
That trade’s in the past, and there’s nothing the Titans can do about it now, but they do need to atone by making a bold move for a quarterback in 2023. It’s not going to be the Malik Willis show, in all likelihood. The Ryan Tannehill experiment should be over.
A player like Derek Carr could thrive with the backbone of Derrick Henry and he could help elevate some of the young skill talent in Tennessee like stud 2022 rookies Treylon Burks and Chig Okonkwo.
The Titans are another team on this list with an incomplete set of skill players at the present moment. They need at least a couple more pieces in the passing game but I think with better QB play, even what the Titans had going into this past season should have been enough to get the team to the playoffs.
The Titans will need to be in the mix for Derek Carr in the coming weeks.
Derek Carr top 7 team fits in 2023: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Derek Carr going from the Raiders to the Buccaneers could be one of his best options in the 2023 offseason.
Wait, Tom Brady is the quarterback of the Bucs. Why would Derek Carr go there?
Well, Tom Brady is a free agent in 2023 and it seems like there’s a decent chance he will go elsewhere in 2023. As a matter of fact, it could end up being that Brady and Carr actually end up trading places even though they wouldn’t be traded for each other.
That would be fascinating, now, wouldn’t it?
The Buccaneers need to get healthy on the offensive line but this team has plenty of pieces that have obviously made them a strong contender since Tom Brady came aboard in 2020. They have a tremendous base of skill talent with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin at receiver, while some young players like running back Rachaad White and tight end Cade Otton should continue to emerge as time goes along.
This Buccaneers team has too many pieces in place right now to sit idly by and hope someone like Kyle Trask can develop for them. I think Jason Licht is way too aggressive for that anyway.
Jason Licht briefly crossed paths in New England with Josh McDaniels once upon a time and I’m sure the lines of communication are open there. Derek Carr would obviously have to want to go to the Buccaneers but they seem like a strong option for him to go after a championship in 2023 and beyond.