3 NFL teams that desperately need Derek Carr in 2023
Soon-to-be former Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr will have a new home in 2023. The nine-year veteran has played his last days in Sin City, and after helping to stabilize the position for the Raiders, the new regime under Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels decided they'd seen enough. The question now shifts to who would want Carr and who would be willing to pay top dollar for his services.
The end of an era for Derek Carr and the Raiders
As most Raiders fans can attest, Carr has respectable numbers across the board. At one point, back in 2016, there was talk that he was in the running for MVP. Unfortunately for Carr, playing for the Raiders came with a lot of dysfunction. Carr saw several head coaches and offensive coordinators come and go for one reason or another.
Now entering what'll be the twilight of his playing career, Carr, who turns 32 in March, would surely prefer to go somewhere that's close to playoff contention.
Here is every playoff TD pass of Derek Carr's career.
It literally took me hours to find all of them and put this together. https://t.co/Wp3IrHN3iI
Luckily for Carr, there are a handful of NFL teams that are desperate for a veteran signal-caller who has proven to be fairly consistent.
The New York Jets need an upgrade to get into the playoffs, enter Derek Carr?
So far, the quarterback situation in New York has been well documented. The Zach Wilson experiment failed miserably, as the former top draft pick was literally booed out of the stadium for his uninspired play. Joe Flacco, who's playing on life support at this point, isn't the answer.
Der Hit von Matt Milano gegen Mike White, der sich danach vor Schmerzen krümmt. Die Jets O-Line macht keinen guten Job.
https://t.co/KmGe6UErJH
Mike White showed flashes before getting his rib cage shredded, but is it enough to convince the Jets that he's the long-term answer? By securing Derek Carr, coach Robert Saleh will get a quarterback who led his previous team to two playoff appearances.
Look, the Jets have one of the most fearsome defenses in the NFL right now; however, their lack of a quarterback was their undoing. By all accounts, with Carr, the Jets would've easily made the playoffs this season.
The two major red flags with New York as a setting are the cold weather, which Carr struggles with. The second is the media in New York, which is absolutely ruthless. The moment Carr struggles, there will be blood in the water, and not even Carr's older brother, David, will be able to save him.
Derek Carr, oh no... 😬
Steelers win on this late Sutton INT! 😤
(via @NFL)
https://t.co/9YBqWCI3AJ
Reunite Derek Carr with Jack Del Rio in Washington?
The Washington Commanders have a talented roster despite all of the turmoil surrounding ownership and the toxicity it creates. Luckily for Carr, he's used to organizational dysfunction. Also, by heading to Washington, he'll be reunited with his former head coach, Jack Del Rio, who's the defensive coordinator there.
Flashback to 10/30/2016 the last time the Raiders and Buccaneers met. @DPENN70 caught a TD vs his former team and @derekcarrqb led an OT comeback victory throwing for 513 yards. Now Gruden faces his former team, can we get a @Trent TD? #RaiderNation https://t.co/XMWSm10w3p
The 2016 season is one of the biggest "what ifs" in Raiders history. Carr and Del Rio helped completely turn the team around that season. Sadly, a leg injury caused Carr to miss their playoff game, ruining what might've been a special playoff run. With the Commanders, maybe the duo can rekindle some magic.
The Commanders have an explosive receiving corps with Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel, along with Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson, leading the run game.
Indianapolis Colts make a lot of sense for Derek Carr in 2023
The Top Landing Spots for Las Vegas Raiders QB Derek Carr
Carolina Panthers
Washington Commanders
Indianapolis Colts
New York Jets
New Orleans Saints
Green Bay Packers (If Aaron Rodgers moves on)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Tom Brady swap) https://t.co/pKJ6FfrqDu
It would be very interesting to see if the Colts pull off a trade for Carr. At one point, they were going to give up two first-round picks for him. Now, they can also sign him without giving up valuable draft capital to the Raiders, assuming Carr is released outright.
Let's face it, the Colts have failed miserably at trying to recover since Andrew Luck's retirement. With Carr, they'd finally see some stability at the quarterback position.
The Colts offense has its share of playmakers, but their putrid offensive line is the biggest red flag. It's just not any good, and for Carr to work in Indianapolis, he needs maximum protection. Carr isn't a quarterback who can extend plays or make special things happen with his legs.
If the Colts want to make this work, assuming they'd be interested in Derek Carr again, they need to shore up their O-line.