Although the NFL offseason is scheduled for March 17, the league is already in the midst of several potential blockbuster moves.
The Los Angeles Rams kicked things off when they agreed to trade Jared Goff and several draft picks in exchange for Matthew Stafford. Not to be outdone, the Philadelphia Eagles appear to be close to trading Carson Wentz, with the Chicago Bears being the most likely landing spot.
The quarterback carousel that is going on in the NFL raises some questions for general managers as some may be able to receive a haul for their current signal-callers. One name to potentially watch is Derek Carr as the Las Vegas Raiders could look to move on from him given the current going rate for established quarterbacks.
According to Mike Garafolo, Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Raiders are open to making a deal for Carr if the right package comes along:
For the last few years, the answer has been a firm no. That may not be the case now. Teams have been calling the Raiders to gauge interest in trading for Carr, and at least right now, the team appears open to considering it in some form or fashion — as long as it can replace him with someone on the same level. In reality, teams believe Las Vegas is open to dealing one of two QBs — Carr or Marcus Mariota. Guaranteeing Nathan Peterman $1 million in 2021 was a sign they could part with another QB. Will someone make them an offer good enough?
Las Vegas has never wavered from Carr despite some of his shortcomings in recent seasons but now might be the best time to move on from him with so many teams looking to upgrade at his position. The Rams sent over two first-round picks and an additional third to acquire Stafford, and it stands to reason that the Raiders could receive about the same type of draft compensation or even more.
There is also the matter of Marcus Mariota who looked comfortable starting in place of Carr when the latter was forced out of a game during the 2020 season. While Carr is widely expected to start for the Silver and Black during the 2021 season, it will be interesting to see if interest for him heats up.
One rumor indicated the reasoning for the Raiders listening to offers on Carr was due to their interest in Deshaun Watson, so it should be an interest coming few weeks.
