Las Vegas Raiders: Darkhorse trade destinations for Derek Carr

Las Vegas Raiders: Darkhorse trade destinations for Derek Carr

Atlanta Falcons

The rumor mill has had Derek Carr linked to all four of the NFC South teams and for good reason. The division was a total dumpster fire in 2023 and even having the goat Tom Brady in the division couldn’t keep it interesting or competitive as the winner finished the season just 8-9.

Just like the Panthers and Commanders, the Atlanta Falcons looked to be a quarterback away from being truly competitive. They rolled the dice on a fellow former Raider in Marcus Mariota but his accuracy and inconsistency issues kept him from winning the job long-term.

They then turned to rookie Desmond Ridder but he has been poor for the most part as well. Even if the Falcons believe that Ridder is a potential long-term answer, they can still bring in Carr and develop Ridder as his eventual successor. The former third-round pick is making just $1.2 million next year so carrying him and Carr would not be prohibitively expensive.

As of right now, the Falcons are scheduled to have around $70 million in cap space in 2023. That means they can easily take on Carr’s contract and still have money to spend on improving the rest of the team. The reports on Carr’s preferences for his next team include ones with a stable ownership and coaching situation and Atlanta fits that bill.

Arthur Blank is one of the better owners in the NFL and Arthur Smith is a promising young head coach with some impressive wins under his belt. Smith made the Falcons competitive by emphasizing the running game and they have some intriguing weapons in Drake London and Kyle Pitts. They also have Cordarrelle Patterson, who Carr played with several years ago in Oakland, and Tyler Allgeier to form a formidable running game.

The only issue with Atlanta is the defense is not very good as they finished 23rd in points allowed but that can be the focus of their off-season once they snag Derek Carr. Getting to play in a dome and in good weather could also be appealing for Carr and just like the appeal of Carolina, the NFC South should be wide open next year.

Atlanta makes sense for several reasons and this list is the one that crosses nearly all of the boxes. If the trade does go through Carr may have to shell out a pretty penny to pry the number four jersey away from Ridder.