.@SportsCenter updates on DeMeco Ryans’ busy 72 hours; what people around league are saying on Lamar, Carr; Brady/Raiders dynamic and dissecting Jordan Love’s future in Green Bay. (With @thekimchipapi) pic.twitter.com/9iy4U1Ht6f
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 21, 2023
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that longtime Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr has begun looking into the teams that may try and trade for him in the weeks ahead, having been benched for the final two weeks of the regular season to protect the Raiders from risking an injury guarantee in the remaining years on his contract. Carr’s no-trade clause gives him some leverage in choosing where he’ll go next, but the New Orleans Saints have been listed among his potential suitors.
Fowler explained the situation: “Derek Carr, he will be traded; that is the expectation. I’m told that he’s started to do his homework on prospective teams. He has a no-trade clause, so he’s got a lot of power here. The teams I talk to expect a variation of the Saints, the Commanders, and the Jets to all inquire. I’m told some teams have already made some early initial calls to the Raiders but still in the process of coming out of the season. There’s not a lot of traction yet. Expect this to heat up closer to the Super Bowl.”
That lines up with the time-frame that saw the Detroit Lions agree to swap quarterbacks with the Los Angeles Rams a few offseasons ago, exchanging Jared Goff for Matthew Stafford for a couple of early draft picks just days after that year’s Super Bowl. The Raiders have a hard deadline of Feb. 15 to find a trade partner for Carr before more than $40 million guarantees over the next two years. If they can’t find a trade partner at that point, he’ll be released.
But Fowler’s report suggests a trade market is already heating up as various teams begin to look into the cost to acquire Carr. A package of multiple second- and third-round picks could probably get that done, and the Saints have the means to do so. Carr would probably waive his no-trade clause to work with head coach Dennis Allen again (who drafted him with the Raiders back in 2014). You just have to ask how big of an upgrade Carr is over Andy Dalton and Jameis Winston, if at all.
It doesn’t sound like we’ll have to wait long to get our answer. With the Saints choosing to keep Pete Carmichael at offensive coordinator and run it back with a mostly-intact coaching staff after their mediocre 7-10 season, it’s absolutely critical that Allen find a quarterback he has faith in. It’s just unclear whether Saints fans share that belief in his ability to find a passer to team up with.