Well, now the offseason is getting interesting.
Master Tesfatsion of Bleacher Report reports that the Raiders were shopping quarterback Derek Carr at the Scouting Combine.
While few players are unshoppable (Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, Aaron Donald, maybe Deshaun Watson), it’s not currently believed that the Raiders have serious interest in trading Carr.
As one source with knowledge of the situation remarked in response to the report, the Raiders had better have a quarterback in place before shopping the one they have. It’s also believed that coach Jon Gruden “loves” Carr.
Carr has $20 million in compensation due this year. His salary became fully guaranteed the week after the Super Bowl. Trading him would result in a cap charge of $7.5 million for 2019, and he’d be off the books in 2020.
It’s possible that the Raiders have a wink-nod deal in place with a looming free agent, who would replace Carr. Signing a veteran would mesh much more cleanly with Gruden’s style, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see him make a run at someone like Nick Foles or Ryan Fitzpatrick, possibly with a young quarterback learning behind them.
Absent a viable alternative to Carr, however, the Raiders likely wouldn’t trade him. And the Raiders wouldn’t sign an alternative to Carr unless the Raiders knew that they could unload Carr’s $20 million from the payroll.