NFL fans have known for a while now that the Las Vegas Raiders would be moving on from longtime quarterback Derek Carr. After his late-season benching in favor of Jarrett Stidham, Carr has not been shy about the reality that he has played his last game in the Silver and Black. This has led fans to speculate where Carr could land, but now, a true favorite has emerged.
That team is the New Orleans Saints, who hosted Carr for a visit this week. New Orleans definitely needs a quarterback upgrade after starting Andy Dalton for most of 2022, and Carr could be a decent option. Additionally, this move would reunite Carr with Saints head coached Dennis Allen, who was the Raiders' coach when they drafted Carr.
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However, there is a massive hurdle to overcome, namely Carr's cap hit. New Orleans currently has the worst cap situation in the entire league, being over $57 million in the red. With this in mind, taking on Carr's nearly $35 million cap hit is a tall order.
That said, it isn't impossible, as GM Mickey Loomis has laughed at the salary cap for years. It may take losing some other players, but the Saints can make it work if they want to do so. First things first, though, they have to acquire Carr.
With that, let's look at a Derek Carr trade offer that makes perfect sense.
Derek Carr to the Saints for a 2023 third-round pick*
Well, this is one scenario where we may already know the trade terms ahead of time. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Las Vegas' asking price for Carr is reportedly just a third-round pick. An underwhelming return, but one that makes sense given the circumstances. Take note of that asterisk, though, we'll come back to that later.
NFL source says that the asking price to trade for #Raiders QB Derek Carr is a 3rd round pick, per @JFowlerESPN
While the #Saints were given permission to host Carr, they have not agreed to contract terms, per @AlbertBreer
Carr also hasn't agreed to waive his no-trade clause. pic.twitter.com/JLrpurc73m
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 8, 2023
On New Orleans' side, it makes sense to give up as little as possible to get Carr. Yes, the Saints are in a deep salary cap hole, but they don't need to solve that problem in just this trade. Besides, if they're interested in acquiring Carr, they likely think they can still compete. In that case, it makes sense to keep the roster as intact as possible.
On the Las Vegas side, the Raiders don't really have much leverage to ask for more. Carr's entire 2023 salary of $32.9 million, plus $7.5 million in 2024, becomes fully guaranteed on Feb. 15, so the Raiders are working under the pressure of a ticking clock. The entire league knows this fact, and if other teams don't like the asking price, they can simply wait for the Raiders to cut Carr and then sign him as a free agent.
Now here's where that little asterisk comes into play and makes things a bit more interesting. What if the Saints do decide to shed some salary in this deal to make bringing in Carr a bit easier? After all, if they do have to let go of players, sending them to the AFC might make more sense than just cutting them and risking them signing with an NFC rival.
In that case, it's possible that New Orleans could send out one of its bigger contracts. Some options here include Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramscyzk and Andrus Peat. If the Saints choose to do this, they'd likely give up a later pick instead of a third.
Either way, if the Saints are serious about acquiring Derek Carr, this should get the job done.
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