Las Vegas Raiders: Derek Carr could get his revenge in 2023
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders said goodbye to Derek Carr this offseason, but if he chooses the New York Jets in free agency, he will return to the desert in 2023
The Las Vegas Raiders are still in the process of figuring out who their starting quarterback will be for the 2023 NFL season. This offseason, Las Vegas decided to part ways with Derek Carr, a player who has been their starting signal-caller since his rookie season back in 2014.
As Las Vegas tries to navigate their next move, so does Carr, and he has already met with two NFL teams to date. His first visit was with the New Orleans Saints, and this past weekend, he met with the New York Jets, one of the more quarterback-needy franchises in recent memory.
In fact, New York has not had a capable signal-caller in quite some time, trotting out the likes of Joe Flacco, Zach Wilson, and Mike White last season. Carr would be a significant upgrade over that trio, and if he does land in New York, he would be in position to get revenge on the Raiders as soon as next season.
New York is scheduled to play inside Allegiant Stadium in 2023, and looking at the rest of the team’s opponents, Indianapolis, New England, or even Green Bay could be a destination for Carr this offseason.
Raiders still have no clear path to a QB1 in 2023
For the Silver and Black, replacing Carr will be no easy task, as many felt they were the front-runners to land Tom Brady this offseason before his abrupt retirement. Las Vegas is also rumored to be in on Aaron Rodgers, Jimmy Garoppolo, and even Mac Jones, the later two having played for Josh McDaniels back in his days as the offensive coordinator of the Patriots.
Carr had his faults, but he is widely considered a top-15 quarterback in the league, and that caliber of quarterback is hard to come by nowadays.
The Raiders better have a plan in place in terms of replacing Carr, as another subpar season from McDaniels could lead to Mark Davis showing him the door. The 2023 offseason is a huge one for second-year general manager David Ziegler, and if they do not get the quarterback spot right, it could be another long season in the desert.