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At this point, it is well known that Russell Wilson’s agent said that the Raiders are one of four teams on the quarterback’s list if he requests a switch.
But Las Vegas already has a quarterback hired. And for now at least, the club seems content to roll with Derek Carr.
During his press conference on Wednesday, Mike Mayock was asked indirectly about Wilson under the guise of a hypothesis: If an elite player is supposed to be available, do you make the call? Or do you say I’m with my guy, I don’t need to answer the phone?
“Obviously, I can’t talk about anyone’s players, so I’m not going,” said Mayock. “I’m just going to talk about Derek and I’m going to tell you the same thing that I told you in the past two years, that I think Derek Carr had his best year under Jon Gruden. I think he’s one of the best defenders in the NFL and we couldn’t be happier with him.
“And I tell you every year, we evaluate every position every year. I have no idea who can call me or who can’t call me. Therefore, you must make the evaluations of both your own players and all other players in the league. And you have to stack your board and understand the value of the league across the league – and we do that. But if you’re asking me about Derek, I think Jon and I would go shoulder to shoulder and hit the table for Derek Carr. “
Although Mayock is effusive in his praise for Carr, he left little room for maneuver in what effectively amounts to a compliment sandwich. He said the Raiders couldn’t be happier with Carr, but noted that any team could call. And if that team offered a player that Las Vegas has a higher rating than Carr, then anything could happen.
At this point, it still seems likely that the Raiders will have Carr behind the center in 2021. But Mayock has not completely ruled out the possibility of acquiring a better quarterback if a team appears.