Only a couple of days after the Oakland Raiders new general manager, Mike Maycock, said that “Derek Carr is a franchise quarterback”, a report surfaced that the Raiders were shopping Carr at the NFL Combine and looking for potential suitors in a trade.
Carr, 27, played 78 games in five seasons with the Raiders. In 2018, Carr threw 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for a 4-12 team. He has 123 career touchdowns.
Will Carr Stay or Will He Go?
The Raiders tapped Mike Maycock to be their new general manager in December. He inherits a team that alienated their fan base with a move to Las Vegas. The Raiders also do not even know where they are playing next season. Yet Maycock has jumped head-first into his new role. He likes Derek Carr, but left a door open for a possible move.
“Derek Carr is a franchise quarterback,” Mayock told the Sacramento Bee. “I truly believe that. Do I also believe is it a general manager and head coach’s job to keep your eyes open to improve at any position? Sure, but I think it’s really difficult to try to improve over a franchise quarterback like the one we have in our building right now.”
But the word on the street is that Jon Gruden wants to acquire a young quarterback. He originally wanted to draft Justin Herbert from Oregon. Herbert decided to stay in school his senior season instead of going pro. He said he wanted to play his final season in Eugene with his brother, who will be a freshman tight end on the team. However, it seems more logical that he did not want to end up in a black hole of incompetence with the Raiders.
Despite only winning four games, Carr posted a solid season in which he passed for a career high 4,049 yards. He also broke one of Peyton Manning’s records last season. Carr set the new record for most completions by a player in his first five years in the league with 1,750.
Murray in Oakland
Head coach Jon Gruden is interested in drafting Kyler Murray. The Heisman trophy winner might finally be in Oakland after all. The Oakland A’s drafted him last year and expected him to report to Spring Training this year. However, Murray decided to pursue a career in the NFL instead. With a thin QB draft class this year, Murray knew he was one of the better prospects in the field.
Even though Murray is undersized at 5-foot-10, he impressed scouts at the combine. Arizona Cardinals have the first pick and might be interested in Murray. The Cardinals drafted Josh Rosen last season and new head coach Kliff Kingsbury said the Chosen Rosen was their guy, but the organization likes Murray.
If the Cardinals pass, that means the Raiders will have a chance at any quarterback including Dwyane Haskins and Kyler Murray.
2019 NFL Draft Order – Top 6
1. Arizona Cardinals (3-13)
2. San Francisco 49ers (4-12)
3. New York Jets (4-12)
4. Oakland Raiders (4-12)
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-11)
6. New York Giants (5-11)
The New York Giants are desperate for a quarterback and would love to select Ohio State’s Dwyane Haskins. The New York Jets have the third pick and stated they were open to trading down. If the Giants want to be aggressive and pick ahead of the Raiders, perhaps the Giants and Jets will make their first major trade in almost four decades
With multiple first round picks, the Raiders are in a position to trade up. If that’s the case it will be interesting to see if the Raiders try to work out a trade with their Bay Area sibling the San Francisco Niners. The Cardinals have not stated whether they’d trade down, but they’d be open to any offers.
The Silver and Black Circus
The Raiders made waves before the 2018 season started when they traded away one of the best defensive players in the NFL. Jon Gruden shipped Kahlil Mach to the Chicago Bears before the Week 1. Mack thrived in his new home and was instrumental in guiding one of the top defenses in the league in Chicago. Mack played in the postseason this year and the Bears are expected to be a favorite to win the NFC North again in 2019.
Gruden traded WR Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys for a first-round draft pick. After a slow adjustment period, Cooper became a favorite target for Dak Prescott. The two hooked up for six touchdowns plus another in the postseason.
During a game in November, cameras caught a heated argument on the sidelines between Gruden and Carr. It would not surprise anyone in Raiders nation if Gruden traded their quarterback. Gruden proved that no one was safe last season, so why should Carr be off the block this season?
Thus far, no one has any interest in Carr. And no one knows where the Raiders will be playing their home games in 2019. Oakland did not renew their lease, so the Raiders are looking to play their games in San Francisco in the same ballpark as the San Francisco Giants.