There has been plenty of speculation regarding the Las Vegas Raiders’ plans under center heading into the offseason.
The Raiders have two potential major assets in quarterbacks Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota at their disposal to make a move should the opportunity present itself. Teams around the league have wasted no time in making moves with the Los Angeles Rams pulling the trigger on a blockbuster deal for quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Meanwhile, the Indianapolis Colts followed up with the acquisition of quarterback Carson Wentz in exchange for a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 conditional second-round pick. However, it appears they had done their due diligence on the situation in Las Vegas.
According to Jim Ayello of the IndyStar, the Colts reportedly expressed some interest on an asking price for Carr, although the Raiders were not interested:
League source says Colts were among the teams that checked in on Raiders starting quarterback Derek Carr. Received a pretty firm "not available."
— Jim Ayello (@jimayello) February 18, 2021
The Colts inquiring about Carr hardly comes as any surprise considering they had a major void to fill under center with the retirement of Philip Rivers. Despite looking into swinging a possible deal with the Raiders, they ultimately lane Wentz as their new face of the franchise.
Las Vegas shooting down any potential negotiations for Carr indicates that Indianapolis was not able to offer up a deal that would at least stir some interest in the front office. Given what the latter wound up giving up for Wentz, it would not have put them in much of a position to find an upgrade under center.
It is no secret that the Raiders have ushered in some high expectations under head coach Jon Gruden but they have fallen vastly short by hovering at .500 over the last two seasons. Although the offense has struggled at times, Carr’s play has served as a major stabilizing factor amid the changes around the organization.
Las Vegas could very well be content moving forward with Carr unless they have a solid contingency plan in place, which seems unlikely.
