Report: Raiders to begin gauging Derek Carr trade market

The Raiders are set to meet with Derek Carr soon, and it appears they will do so with the intent of exploring a trade. Not long after Carr’s benching, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports the Raiders have begun the process of evaluating the trade market.

This has been the expected path since the Raiders demoted Carr ahead of Week 17, leading to the nine-year starting quarterback stepping away from the team. The Raiders have just more than a month until Carr’s $40.4M guarantee vests. As of now, that figure becomes guaranteed three days after Super Bowl LVII (Feb. 15).

A number of teams figure to be in on Carr, even with that lofty guarantee figure looming. The Jets, Saints, Commanders, and Panthers come to mind, with a PFR poll last month producing "Gang Green" as the clubhouse leader. Other teams like the Colts, Titans, and perhaps the Buccaneers — in the event Tom Brady either retires for a second time or leaves as a free agent — could be on the Carr radar as well.

Carr holds a no-trade clause, giving the 31-year-old passer some control during this process. The Raiders included the clause in their 2022 extension, which included the guarantee vesting date allowing the franchise to move on if Carr did not prove a fit with the new Josh McDaniels- and Dave Ziegler-run operation. Mark Davis gave the new Raiders regime carte blanche when it came to handling Carr, but the HC-GM combo was believed to be close to keeping Carr as the starter through the end of the season. The owner, who is believed to be lukewarm on Carr, stepped in and may well have pushed the situation to this point.

As could be expected given their McDaniels hire, the Raiders are already being connected to Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo. This marks the second time the Raiders have been linked to Brady in free agency. They pursued the all-time great in 2020, but Jon Gruden deemed the longtime Patriots cornerstone too old even at that point. Wooing a quarterback in advance of an age-46 season will obviously be unprecedented, though Garoppolo is Carr’s age and could serve as a longer-term bridge.

If the Raiders are unable to trade Carr, it is believed they will release him rather than pay that $40.4M. Despite the team giving Carr a three-year, $121.4M extension just last year, a release — thanks to the uniquely structured deal — would result in just a $5.6M dead-money charge. The quarterback trade market has heated up in recent years, and it appears Carr will be another high-profile passer on the move.