NFL

Four Potential Landing Spots for QB Derek Carr in 2023

Carr could be driving to a new NFL franchise next season

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Five potential landing spots for Raiders’ QB Derek Carr in 2023 originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Derek Carr is leaving Las Vegas. 

The nine-year NFL veteran, who spent every season in Oakland and later Las Vegas, gave the fanbase and organization a parting note in January and was finally released on Feb. 14. Carr did not void the no-trade clause in his contract, leading the Raiders to outright cut him.

Now that Carr is on the open market, let’s take a look at four destinations that could make sense for the former Fresno State product:

New Orleans Saints

The Saints haven’t had “that guy” since Drew Brees retired. Jameis Winston showed some signs of life, but injuries have prevented him from capitalizing on his solid, non-interception form. Head coach Dennis Allen won’t want 35-year-old Andy Dalton as his long-term starter, and Taysom Hill is still more of a utility player than he is a signal caller. 

If Carr comes in, he’ll likely have a healthy weapons core of Alvin Kamara, Michael Thomas and Chris Olave. Jarvis Landry could return after his New Orleans stint was cut short due to injury. Why New Orleans makes even more sense is it doesn’t have a draft pick until the second round. Maybe a trade up could materialize, but they don’t really have the caliber of assets that could net them a pick in the Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud range. 

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For all of Carr’s notable shortcomings, the Saints could do worse heading into 2023 with him driving the offense.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are similar to the Saints in the sense that they haven’t found their next franchise QB since the departure of a team icon. For New Orleans, it was Brees. For Pittsburgh, it was Ben Roethlisberger. Granted, Big Ben just left after the 2021 season, but rookie Kenny Pickett took a while to get going in his rookie season.

Unlike the Saints, Pittsburgh does have a first-round pick at No. 17 overall. Would the Steelers opt for another QB in back-to-back first rounds, or would they address another position instead? Considering they stayed in the postseason hunt until Week 18 without a legit QB is promising. 

Perhaps a guy like Carr could push the margins in their favor in 2023, with Najee Harris, George Pickens, Diontae Johnson and Pat Freiermuth as current weapons. 

Washington Commanders

The Commanders are similar to the Steelers in the sense that they stayed within striking distance of a playoff spot despite the carousel involving Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke. There’s no guarantee that wouldn’t occur again if Carr was on board in 2023, but we know Ron Rivera likes to do his homework in situations like this.

Washington is also preparing to have a mid-first-round pick, where a QB may or may not make sense depending on availability. Wentz and Heinicke haven’t been appalling, but they don’t exactly improve the margins. Carr hasn’t necessarily been that guy with the Raiders, either, but he’s just one tier ahead of those two, and it’s often difficult to find a margin-improving QB in the NFL.

The one-two punch of Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson in the back with Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson and Curtis Samuel as wideouts are not a bad group, with the defense also being among the top in 2022. A man-managing coach like Rivera could be exactly what Carr needs at this stage of his career. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tom Brady is gone, so where will Tampa Bay turn?

Tampa Bay also is headed toward a mid-to-late first-round pick at No. 19 with Blaine Gabbert and Kyle Trask as the backups. The jury is still out on 2021 second-rounder Trask, but it’s likely not a good sign that he’s behind Gabbert in the pecking order. 

Add the fact that Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Russell Gage and Leonard Fournette are the key skill players in a substandard NFC South, and Carr could find himself in a solid scenario.

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