With Raiders Derek Carr’s benching, it is becoming increasingly clear that the chances of Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler bringing the veteran QB back for a tenth season are rather low.
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr has arguably had his worst season since he was a rookie, posting just a 60% completion percentage and an 86.3 quarterback rating, both below league average. Additionally, Carr is leading the NFL in interceptions with 14 thrown in 15 games.
Las Vegas is technically still in the playoff race, yet the Raiders’ front office has decided to prioritize Carr’s health, instead of playing out the long shot of a potential postseason berth. With Carr’s contract guarantee for next season cementing itself in the event of an injury, the long-term plans for the Carr/Raiders marriage are in doubt, at the very least.
The only other quarterbacks on the Raiders’ roster are Jarrett Stidham, who will start in the final two games of the season, and Chase Garbers, an undrafted free-agent rookie from UC Berkeley.
That being the case, it is probably safe to assume that if the Raiders do move on from Carr, the 2023 starting quarterback is not currently on the roster.
This leaves Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler with an abundance of options at the quarterback position for next season. They can sign a free agent, draft a rookie, or make a trade for a proven commodity.
Whatever the Raiders’ brass does decide, they have to get it right. The Raiders’ roster is ready to win now and wasting another year of the likes of Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby will not go down well with Mark Davis or Raider Nation.
Again, with a roster (and an owner) that is ready to win now, the Raiders’ brain trust should have no shortage of options to replace Carr in 2023. All that being said, let’s take a look at three realistic possibilities for the Raiders’ new signal-caller next season.