Why the Las Vegas Raiders May Release Derek Carr This Week

After nine seasons, 142 starts, and two cities, the Derek Carr era with the Raiders is over. The team and player have both made moves and comments that more than suggest that a split is imminent, including the organization starting Jarret Stidham at quarterback for the team’s final two games, Carr’s comments regarding his play in Las Vegas at the recent NFL Pro Bowl, and the player’s two week absence from the team and team activities to end the 2022 NFL season.

It’s good to see that Carr, who played under six different head coaches in nine seasons, has a good sense of humor regarding his eventual trade or release from the team that drafted him.

Why a Derek Carr trade may be unlikely at this point

While Carr is actively being shopped to other QB-needy teams, headlined by a recent visit with the New Orleans Saints, there is a good chance that the veteran quarterback will be released in the following week.

On February 15th, the Raiders will owe Carr $40.4 million in guaranteed money if he is still on the roster, so to say there is some urgency to this situation is a bit of an understatement. If released, the Raiders will save $30 million dollars in cap space to supplement a roster around their new quarterback, who would either be a draft selection or a trade for a veteran such as Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Certainly, the Raiders would like to trade the 31-year-old quarterback to a number of different teams who may be interested in a player with the veteran experience and leadership that Carr possesses. However, it may be difficult to find a trade partner before the middle of February.

Carr is one of a number of veteran quarterbacks who may find a new team this offseason, including the aforementioned Rodgers, another former MVP in Lamar Jackson, and free agents such as Jimmy Garoppolo and Geno Smith. Carr likely falls somewhere in the middle of all of these options for teams who are trying to improve behind center for 2023, so it is entirely possible that he will not be the first domino to fall in this year’s quarterback carousel.

Additionally, Carr’s contract extension from just last offseason includes a no-trade clause, so any move the team would make around Carr would require his approval. Carr himself has, rightfully so, not made this process any easier, as he declined to push back the February 15th deadline for his roster bonus, stating “I don’t think that would be best for me”.

If teams are waiting to hear back on offers from the Packers and Ravens, it is unlikely that a team would cement their status with Derek Carr as their starting quarterback in the following week. Unless a team is extremely desperate, which a team like the Saints might be, there is a reasonable expectation that Carr will become a free agent, becoming perhaps the best free agent quarterback since at least Kirk Cousins.

If released, Carr should garner interest from a number of teams, including all four NFC South teams, both New York teams, the Washington Commanders, the Seattle Seahawks, and the Tennessee Titans. For any of these teams, acquiring Carr through free agency without having to surrender players or draft picks would be an automatic improvement at the quarterback position.