To say that the Oakland Raiders are in a weird place right now is an understatement. From all of the massive changes throughout the regular season, with star players like pass rusher Khalil Mack and wide receiver Amari Cooper being traded, to the questioning of Jon Gruden's decisions on and off the field. With the firing of previous general manager Reggie McKenzie in favor of television personality Mike Mayock, and the fact the franchise is unsure of where they will call home next season.
Throughout this dysfunction and the turmoil of a 4-12 regular season, there were rumors swirling about the uncertainty regarding Derek Carr's future with the Raiders. And with all of the aforementioned big names traded away during 2018, it wasn't too far from reality.
However, Carr remains with the team and looks to still be in the team's future. But, with teams looking for an elite talent at quarterback to get themselves into contention, it's not far out of the question.
With this being said, should the Oakland Raiders consider trading Derek Carr?
Teams looking for a new starting QB
A large number of teams are in the market for a quarterback in any manner they can get one. Whether it be through a trade, free agency, or the draft, teams will do whatever it takes to get themselves to a high level of competitiveness.
There are a few franchises unsure of the long-term future with their current guy under center, and there are others that are in desperate need of a change. So, let's start from least to most-needy.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: A strange enigma of a quarterback conundrum. They still have many questions about Jameis Winston going into next season, but they ranked first in passing yards per game.
- Cincinnati Bengals: A team in serious decline as they move on from the Marvin Lewis era. Add this in with the fact that the Andy Dalton years might be coming to an end, and we can see a new signal caller in 2019.
- Miami Dolphins: Yet another team coming off a change at head coach while having a quarterback's time come into question. Ryan Tannehill has been too injury-prone and inconsistent to remain Miami's starting quarterback.
- New York Giants: The success of Eli Manning is becoming a distant memory after turning 38. It's time to find his replacement.
- Washington Redskins: After so many veteran quarterbacks suffering injuries in 2018, it's time to look for a healthy long-term answer.
- Denver Broncos: There is only one missing piece on that offense, and it's the quarterback.
- Jacksonville Jaguars: Do I really need to explain this one?
The demand for quarterbacks is there. It's just a matter of a team pulling the trigger on an established quarterback like Derek Carr, which brings us to the next important piece.
Derek Carr's trade value
The most important part of a team trading away a player is to find the value that would satisfy them in return. That's what the Oakland Raiders need to find out before making a move and entertaining offers.
Despite the underwhelming talent around him and a miserable season, the three-time Pro Bowler still had one of his best seasons statistically. He put up career-highs in passing yards (4,049), completions (381), yards per attempt (7.3), and completion percentage (68.9).
Carr had to do so much with such a weak supporting cast. The offensive line tied for the fifth-most sacks allowed with 52, the rushing yards per game ranked at a lowly 25th, and the receivers dropped the sixth-most passes in the league.
Carr shows productivity and consistency even in the most down years for his team. He's worth a high draft pick, but realistically a first-rounder on the lower end of the selections.
It will be interesting to see if a franchise will go after him and make a deal with the Oakland Raiders. However, teams will look into what they can get from the quarterback market — bringing us to our next part.
QB market for the 2019 offseason
The two quarterbacks that are the most talked about for a possible trade are Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco and Philadelphia Eagles signal-caller Nick Foles. They're both cheap options with proven resumes as championship-winning quarterbacks.
As for free agency, quarterbacks are very barren in this category (unless Foles buys out of his option for $2 million). The only viable option is New Orleans backup, Teddy Bridgewater. He has the most upside as a passer out of all of the names getting out of their contracts. Not many teams will be salivating over guys like Ryan Fitzpatrick, Josh McCown, and Sam Bradford.
With those options out of the way, teams will be looking to take a chance in the NFL Draft. There's speculation over the Arizona Cardinals looking into Kyler Murray for the number one overall pick with new head coach Kliff Kingsbury. Then there are other options in Dwayne Haskins, Daniel Jones, and Drew Lock, who could all go in the first round.
The Oakland Raiders can look into one of those options to replace Derek Carr as their starting quarterback. They already have three first-round picks, so they can afford to take a gamble on a rookie QB.
However, is it worth the Raiders getting rid of another critical piece of their team for more draft picks?
The argument against trading Derek Carr
As much of a wild card as the Raiders seem to be in the Jon Gruden era, they don't have to get rid of Carr.
He's still producing at an exceptional rate, and the quarterback position is something they shouldn't take a chance on with all of the questions they have at different areas. It's not just the questionable offensive line that continues to allow Carr to end up on his back, nor the underproducing run game with its injury-prone veteran backs, nor the aging targets in Jared Cook and Jordy Nelson.
Oakland's defense ranked last in points allowed with 29.2 points given up per game. Their pass rush came away with a league-worst 13 sacks after dealing Mack to the Bears, with the next closest teams to that pitiful stat being the Giants and Patriots with 30. Plus, the Raiders' defense ranked third-worst in playing the run, giving up 140.6 rushing yards per game.
Oakland needs to improve in basically every area outside of quarterback. Quarterback is one of the few positions where they're set for the long-term future. They need help at nearly every other position.
It's a team that needs a lot of help. But, as far as the quarterback position goes, that's a negative. So, it brings us back to the starting question.
Should the Oakland Raiders trade Derek Carr?
They should not. As much as the Raiders are in a serious rebuild, trading Carr is not the answer to get it done.
He put up one of his best seasons in Jon Gruden's first season back with the Raiders. It was a 4-12 campaign with very support around the Fresno State product, and he put up some of the best numbers of his career.
The team currently has three first-round picks and the sixth-most cap space going into 2019. Plus, the subject of this article says that players want to play for this team.
Oakland won't find another team that has improved this much under these circumstances, nor will they find a rookie quarterback that can duplicate what the former Pro Bowler Carr has done either.
The Raiders should hang onto Carr and look into providing him some help and a defense that won't get gashed week after week.
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