The 1st Piece of the NFL QB Puzzle Has Fallen
Josh Frey
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The past couple NFL offseasons have been filled with rumors surrounding QBs. Who will get traded? Who will get new contracts? Who will sign with new teams? Well, 2023 doesn’t look any less busy in that department, and in fact, it may be the most volatile offseason for quarterbacks yet. On Tuesday, the first piece of this NFL QB puzzle fell as the Las Vegas Raiders announced that they have released Derek Carr, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
This move was expected, especially after the Raiders and New Orleans Saints were not able to work out a trade between the two sides when Carr visited with New Orleans last week. According to the reports in the days following that visit, the main issue between the two sides was Carr’s contract. Carr was set to have $40.4 million of his contract guaranteed if the Raiders didn’t move him before the end of the day.
Carr was drafted with the 36th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, and by his third season in the NFL, he placed third in the MVP voting by leading the Raiders to a 12-3 record during his 15 starts in the 2016 season. Unfortunately, during Week 16 he suffered a broken fibula that ended his season before the playoffs.
Since then, Carr has never missed just 3 games, and he played his first career playoff game during the 2021 season. The Raiders lost that Wild Card game to the Cincinnati Bengals, who would eventually go on to make the Super Bowl.
The 9-year veteran quarterback now enters free agency this offseason with seemingly many suitors for his services. Many of these teams that will chase after him likely reside in the NFC as well. The Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints have already shown interest in Carr, but perhaps the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could make a run at the veteran QB as well with Tom Brady retiring earlier this offseason.
Additionally, don’t count out the Vikings NFC North rivals, the Detroit Lions. Detroit can get out of Jared Goff’s contract fairly easily this offseason, and it makes too much sense to pair Carr with a coach like Dan Campbell for them not to be in the mix to some extent.
NFL free agency doesn’t officially begin until March 15 with the legal tampering period taking place from March 13th-15th, but Carr bypasses that by being released from his team. If a team has cap space, they can agree to a deal right away.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.