Analyzing the Raiders Quarterback situation entering the 2022 offseason

One of the big decisions of the offseason will be at the quarterback spot, as Derek Carr enters the final season of his current Raiders contract.

One of the first major questions that need to be answered by new Head Coach Josh McDaniels and incoming General Manager Dave Ziegler will be the quarterback situation heading into the 2022 season. With Derek Carr heading into the final year of a non-guaranteed deal, as well as his backups Marcus Mariota and Nathan Peterman heading towards free agency, some major questions are heading into free agency.

What to do with Derek Carr?

The first will be the future of Derek Carr. Carr is a solid NFL quarterback who has likely peaked as a top 12-15 quarterback in the league. Carr played well last season despite the loss of some major weapons, but also demonstrated his leadership in keeping the team together.

Carr has the tools to be a top quarterback in the game, but he has always been hindered by a lack of weapons or poor coaching. The addition of McDaniels could benefit Carr tremendously if they choose to move forward with him as the starter.

“Derek has impressed me for a long, long time,” McDaniels said. “It’ll be a really fun experience for me to have the opportunity to continue to build this thing with him as our leader.”

McDaniels may be fond of Carr, but his real intentions will be revealed soon enough. Quarterbacks of Carr’s stature rarely play on a lame-duck contract and an extension will likely eclipse $30 million per season.

Carr seems to want a long-term commitment financially and a winning commitment from the team as well based on what his brother said in a recent media tour. During an appearance on “The Herd” with Colin Cowherd, Carr’s brother, David, now an analyst for NFL Network, made it pretty clear what the Raiders need to do to convince Carr to stay for the long haul.

The decision on Carr will likely come before free agency so that the team has a chance to make a decision on a successor or make a possible trade.