The Las Vegas Raiders announced a major change to their lineup on Wednesday afternoon as Derek Carr is no longer the starting quarterback. He is being benched in favor of Jarrett Stidham, who has thrown 61 passes in his NFL career since being a fourth-round pick out of Auburn by the New England Patriots in 2019.
This will be Stidham’s first start and likely the end of an era for the Raiders. There are monetary reasons for Carr being benched, as his $33 million salary for 2023 is only guaranteed for injury, so benching him ensures that he will stay healthy.
Carr has likely thrown his last pass in a Raiders uniform as he isn’t even going to be active on game days. Chase Garbers is going to be Stidham’s backup, likely ending what has been the most productive quarterback era in franchise history.
Where could Carr end up should Las Vegas choose to trade him? Here are three teams who should consider making a deal for him this upcoming off-season.
3. Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders are right in the thick of things in the NFC playoff picture. They are currently holding the final Wild Card spot in the conference and need to either win their last two games of the season to secure that spot or have the Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers all lose games.
Winning is the easiest path there and they have decided to make a quarterback change of their own, re-inserting Carson Wentz into the lineup. He will replace Taylor Heinicke, who went 5-3-1 in nine starts for the injured Wentz but has gone winless in his last three games.
Washington traded away some draft capital to acquire Wentz this past offseason from the Indianapolis Colts, but they could look for an upgrade again in the upcoming offseason, especially if they miss the playoffs. Derek Carr would be a nice upgrade and having Jack Del Rio on the staff as defensive coordinator would bring some familiarity.
Carr had his best seasons with Del Rio as head coach of the Raiders and could help bridge the gap and tap back into something to help him succeed under Ron Rivera as well. Not to mention, the weapons in Washington are above average with Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson in the backfield and Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson and Curtis Samuel at wide receiver.
2. Indianapolis Colts
There may not be a team in the NFL that needs a quarterback during the 2023 off-season as badly as the Indianapolis Colts. They had high hopes coming into the season after acquiring Matt Ryan from the Atlanta Falcons to replace Wentz, but they are going to fall woefully short of them.
Ryan was a mitigated disaster this season, turning the ball over at a high rate. Sam Ehlinger didn’t provide much of a boost in his two starts and Nick Foles was a disaster on Monday Night Football against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 16.
What is a strong roster otherwise is going to waste because of underwhelming quarterback play. Bringing Derek Carr in could provide the Colts with the continuity they are seeking as 2023 will be the seventh straight year a different player starts at quarterback in Week 1 as the position has been a mess since Andrew Luck’s unexpected retirement ahead of the season in 2019.
1. New York Jets
The New York Jets have made plenty of strides during 2022. There is still a chance for them to make the postseason, but even if they fall short of that, this season should still be considered a success. It is clear that general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh are the men for the job, but they need to figure out the quarterback position.
Had New York received competent production from Zach Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, they would be shoe-ins for the postseason. Injuries have hampered the offensive line, but Mike White, Joe Flacco and Chris Streveler have all provided a spark this season when called upon that Wilson has been unable to provide.
With an elite defense, Wilson just had to be a game manager but he wasn’t even capable of that. After the disastrous performance on Thursday Night Football in Week 16 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, it is hard to imagine that Wilson will be starting for the Jets ever again.
Bringing in a proven veteran such as Derek Carr would help elevate this team into the postseason and become a legitimate contender if he plays up to the potential that he has shown in the past. All the pieces are there in New York for a quarterback to succeed in 2023.
