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The quarterback’s carousel is spinning and one of the pilots has a perpetual scowl on his face.
Vincent Bonsignore’s Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that “several NFL insiders” expect Raiders to answer calls about a possible change from quarterback Derek Carr. Bonsignore suggests that the expected demand for Carr could result in an exchange of three teams that would result in the exchange of Carr for the Raiders and the acquisition of the Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. (Presumably, Texans don’t want Derek Carr, perhaps because of his experience with his brother, David.)
History suggests that the Raiders could get two choices in the first round for Carr. That seems a little loud, frankly.
The report’s origin seems confused, to say the least. Are “NFL insiders” coaches, team executives, media members, agents, players or any combination of these categories? (As used in the industry, the term “NFL Insider” usually refers to someone in the media.) In Carr’s case, “insiders” suggests the possibility of an agreement with three teams. And an “NFL Insider” applied the potential price of two first-round choices to the transaction.
Frankly, this seems like an effort – whether free or subtly requested by the team – to kick-start a potential commercial market for Carr and to introduce the concept of the Raiders as a potential suitor for Watson. After all, GM Mike Mayock said last week that Carr had an “exceptional” year, while repeating the notion that the team is always looking to catch up in every position.
Carr was good last year, but he was not a Pro Bowler. Carr finished 14th in submissions, 11th in yards, 11th in touchdowns. He came in 10th place in the classification of passers, 10th in percentage of completion and finished in a tie of three for the fifth place in average by attempt.
As for the original nugget reported by Bonsignore, which the Raiders are expected to answer calls related to a possible exchange for Carr, this is not a surprise. In the off-season, General Managers ever speak and ever ask about player availability, regardless of whether the player is officially in the trading market. Given that the Raiders seem to have a perpetual ambivalent attitude towards Carr, any team looking for a quarterback would be wise to see if the Raiders are willing to move him and what the Raiders want.
If the notion that Carr is available takes root, perhaps the calls will arrive more quickly and frequently. Perhaps the Raiders will receive an offer that they will not want to refuse for Carr. Regardless of whether this leads to a race at Watson, Raiders possibly consider Carr’s top 10 fringe performance in 2020 as an opportunity to sell high.