Las Vegas Raiders replacing Derek Carr next year rumors already surface

Just days after the 2020 NFL Draft, the rumors have already started swirling that the Las Vegas Raiders should, or could move on from Derek Carr in 2021.

For the second offseason in a row, Derek Carr avoided being replaced as the starting quarterback of the Las Vegas Raiders, though it was no surprise to him. Carr has insisted that the franchise is behind him, including general manager Mike Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden, so there was really no reason to worry.

Though Carr has shown confidence in his job security, there had been a ton of speculation that he would be moved in both the 2019 and 2020 NFL Draft. When Tom Brady became available this offseason, many believed he would replace Carr in Las Vegas, especially after he was seen chatting with Raiders own Mark Davis.

Through it all, Carr has remained the starter, and while the team did bring in Marcus Mariota to back him up this year, his job is safe. Carr is coming off two straight 4,000-yard seasons, and in 2019, he finished second to only New Orleans Saints star Drew Brees in terms of completion percentage.

Despite the team not drafting a quarterback for the second straight year despite a ton of mock drafts saying they would, Carr is once again in the crosshairs only days after the 2020 NFL Draft. Recent mocks, including the latest by Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports, have the Raiders doing bad enough to select a quarterback at pick No. 8 of the 2021 NFL Draft, bringing in Jamie Newman from Georgia.

In addition, Ali Thanawalla from NBC Sports Bay Area recently posted an article that stated an NFL executive told Mike Sando of the Athletic that the Raiders are in prime position to land Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers via a trade next year. The thought is the team drafted Jordan Love in the first round this year, and after the 2020 campaign, the franchise will hand the reigns over to him.

Until the Raiders start winning on the field, Carr is going to continue to hear this noise, no matter how good his statistics are. Carr has stated that he is taking the negativity out of his life, but the fact of the matter is that Raider Nation is divided on whether or not Carr is the guy to get this franchise to Super Bowl win No. 4.

For now, he is fully entrenched as the starter, and plans on going into next season focusing on a Super Bowl win, and not looking over his shoulder. It seems like we have done this dance every year since Gruden returned, so these rumors circulating already is no big surprise.