What happens next after Raiders bench Derek Carr?

The end has seemingly arrived in Las Vegas for Derek Carr, but what does the future hold for him, the Raiders, and Josh McDaniels? 

Mark Davis pushed all his chips to the center betting on Josh McDaniels, and it took less than a season for him to start hedging.

Derek Carr was officially benched on Wednesday, effectively ending his tenure as the Raiders starting quarterback and opening up multiple portals for what could happen next. On the surface it would appear that the issue in Vegas isn’t so much Carr as it is the man in his headset each Sunday, but Davis is essentially doubling down on his bet on McDaniels.

Benching Carr doesn’t officially end his time in Vegas, but it sets in motion a few exit strategies that are important for the Raiders to nail if they want any hope of salvaging the next few years ahead.

Will the Raiders cut or trade Derek Carr?

Yes, but that’s not the route the Raiders would like to go.

Vegas would much prefer to trade Carr, which offloads his massive contract and takes it off the Raiders’ books. But that’s also the biggest thing working against a deal, as teams around the league know that the Raiders have painted themselves into a corner where the ultimatum is either trading or releasing Carr this offseason.

Carr’s in the middle of a $121 million contract extension that takes him through the next three seasons. His cap hit is astronomical, especially for a team that is rumored to be too cash-poor to get rid of the actual problem this season, and releasing him this offseason would be a tough one to take on the chin.

If the Raiders cut Carr, it’ll be after June 1st since he’ll only count for $5,625,000 in dead cap space.

A trade is much more likely, both due to the cap situation but also a higher value return package. That doesn’t fix the lack of leverage situation, though, as teams around the league know Vegas wants to dump Carr and a steep asking price doesn’t need to be met.

What happens to Derek Carr contract situation?

Perhaps the biggest hurdle to clear in any move shipping Carr out of Las Vegas is his massive contract.

Carr isn’t an unrestricted free agent until after the 2025 season, and in the time between he’s owed $114 million and counts for roughly $116 million in dead cap space.

Yuck.

The Raiders have a potential out this offseason, though, which is why the move to bench Carr is being made now. Vegas can save over $17 million by trading Carr after June 1st, and $11 million if a deal is made before then.

Vegas is likely looking at the latter as its best option, as any team trading for Carr would want to do it before the NFL Draft in April, and the Raiders would probably like to receive picks in this year’s draft as part of a package.

Teams that could trade for Derek Carr this offseason?

It’s not a tremendously long list of teams in need of a quarterback this offseason, but there are certainly a handful of options that make sense as potential trade partners.

The first team that leaps out is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It seems all but certain that Tom Brady will be leaving after the 2022 season — whether to retire or sign elsewhere — and the Bucs will need to replace him. Carr fits right into that situation and gives the Bucs stability at quarterback until at least 2025. That gives Todd Bowles and company time to see if they can make it work with Carr, as his contract as head coach runs out not long after Carr’s, and would make a change in Tampa a lot easier for ownership to stomach.

Both the New York Jets and Houston Texans are already in the quarterback market, but Carr isn’t either team’s best option. The Jets are finished with Zach Wilson, but Mike White has emerged as a legitimate candidate to become the starter in 2023. There’s also the Jimmy Garoppolo connection to consider as well — both options being potentially better than starting over with Carr.

Houston is an obvious fit, but the Texans will likely have the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft and can take someone like Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud to be the team’s next franchise quarterback. Carr is far too expensive to be a bridge quarterback, both in terms of his contract and what Houston would have to give up to bring in a guy for just three years or less.

What options do Raiders have at QB for 2023?

It’s not great, to be completely honest.

Vegas is in a really tough spot: Does it rebuild or chase a veteran to take them where Carr couldn’t?

Both options are extremely risky, and it’s hard to see either working out well for the current staff in charge.

Option 1: The Raiders draft a quarterback this year and make him Josh McDaniels’ guy. His success is directly tied to how things play out.

Option 2: Tank and draft a guy in 2024, although that would put McDaniels on an even hotter seat and is a gamble that he’ll eventually figure it out — something he’s proven unable to do

Option 3: Sign Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers. The Brady connection makes sense given the time he spent with McDaniels in New England, but the best chance for him to have success in Vegas might be passed. Ditto with Rodgers, who would be reuniting with Davante Adams but gambling that McDaniels is a better offensive mind than Matt LaFleur — a bad bet.