Las Vegas Raiders: As expected, Derek Carr will not accept any trade
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders will receive no compensation in terms of Derek Carr, as he told the team he will not accept a trade and will be released.
The Las Vegas Raiders were hoping to receive some kind of compensation this offseason for Derek Carr, their nine-year starter who was a Pro Bowl player in 2022. Carr visited the New Orleans Saints in recent days, and while it was a two-day visit, nothing came of it in terms of a trade scenario.
On Super Bowl Sunday, word came down via Ian Rapoport that Carr would not be accepting any kind of trade, and that the team would have to release him before his February 15 deadline. For those who do not know, that is the date that Carr’s contract becomes fully guaranteed for the 2023 NFL season, so there is no way he will be on the roster come Wednesday.
While news of a trade was fun to speculate about it, there was no way Carr was ever going to agree to something that would help his former team, and hurt wherever he was going to end up. Back on February 3, we posted this to Twitter:
Why would Carr EVER agree to a trade? After watching his interviews this week, there’s no way he’s going to do anything that could benefit the Raiders.
— Just Blog Baby (@JustBlogBaby) February 4, 2023
Carr is a four-time Pro Bowl quarterback, and in a league where the position group has become severely watered down, he is certain to have his suitors via free agency. He could end up in New Orleans, allowing the Saints to keep their capital, and bolster the roster around them.
Raiders QB Carr can now pick his spot in 2023
This was not the ending most felt would happen with Carr, as earlier in his career, trading him away would have netted a huge return. However, once the no-trade clause was put into place, it was clear that the team would either have to succeed with him under center or risk him being able to hold them, hostage, if things went bad.
Carr has done all the right things during his time as the starter, but in this scenario, you have to think he felt betrayed by the organization. This was the final nail in the coffin for this relationship, and now, Carr can pick wherever he wants to continue his NFL journey.
So now the Raiders have to figure out what to do with the most important position in sports, as some feel Jimmy Garoppolo could be the Week 1 starter in 2023. There is also the draft, and a potential trade with the Green Bay Packers for Aaron Rodgers, but by the end of this week, it will only be Chase Garbers on the roster at the position.