Raiders QB Carr still talking with Saints; other NFL QB notes … Hard to know what exactly it means but Las Vegas QB Derek Carr is reportedly still in New Orleans at this hour visiting with the Saints for a second day. Carr has been given permission by the Raiders to explore trade options for himself late last month, but only with teams that agreed to Las Vegas’ compensation demands which implied that the Saints have at least accepted the Raiders terms, although at this time we still don’t know those are. As has been noted, the clock is ticking on the Raiders as they the contract extension Carr signed last year kicks in on February 15th when $40M in contract guarantees for the next two years kick in. If something isn’t worked out by next week, the Raiders are expected to simply release Carr, in the process saving themselves the bulk of those guarantees. However, the fact that they are talking for a second day suggests that it is at least more than a courtesy visit by Carr. Stay tuned …
Of course, the story with Carr and the Saints isn’t the only QB-related situation in the NFL with implications for the 2023 draft. Indeed, one of the questions heading into the draft will be whether Atlanta, which has the 8th pick overall, would be willing to go into the upcoming season with Desmond Ridder, a 3rd round pick at the 2022 draft, as the starter or would be looking at the position this April. And while he didn’t fully commit one way or any other, Falcons’ owner Arthur Blank was rather effusive in his praise for Ridder during a recent interview saying that the organization had ‘full confidence’ in Ridder’ and were ‘excited’ to see what he could over a full season. For the record, Ridder played in four games last year in which the Falcons were 2-2 and he completed 64% of his passes without throwing any picks. At the same time, though, Blank did suggest that the Falcons would like to add a vet to their QB room, but likely wouldn’t be breaking the bank to get one.
At the same time, head coach Ron Rivera of Washington, another team with issues at the position, has suggested that Sam Howell, a 5th round pick this past April, will head to camp as the team’s starter, although all options are still on the table for Commanders. However, the Commanders currently have the 16th pick in the upcoming draft and would likely have to trade up to get one of the top guys this year, but according to Rivera the Commanders “don’t intend to overspend on capital, whether draft picks, players and money” at the position.
While all that sounds like neither Atlanta nor Washington are eager to move up to get a QB in this year’s draft, it certainly sounds like Carolina is. Said new Panthers head coach Frank Reich at his intro presser when he was hired earlier this month: ‘you have to have stability at QB’, while G.M. Scott Fitterer was even more forthcoming saying that the team had to consider making aggressive moves this offseason if they find themselves with an opportunity to acquire a quarterback. Fitterer added that “if there are guys in this class that you like, you’ve got to go up, and go get him. So if you have conviction, go get them, although he also added he wasn’t going to force anything.
Meanwhile, for those that haven’t heard – and you really can’t make this stuff up – Aaron Rodgers is, or will soon be heading out on what he’s calling a ‘darkness retreat’ to decide on whether he wants to play in 2023 and/or whether he still wants to play in Green Bay. Rodgers, reportedly will spend four days in isolation while he considers his options. The consensus around the league is that after another round of drama this off-season, Rodgers will return to the Packers, but if wants to move on Las Vegas and the NY Jets would appear to be prime landing spots.
