The NFL quarterback carousel could be a wild ride this offseason. Several players could be on the move that would change the landscape of the league, turning teams into instant contenders. One team that will be in the market for a quarterback this offseason is the Washington Commanders.
Washington missed out on making a move at the position last season, instead, turning to veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick as their starter.
That didn’t even last a full half, as Fitzpatrick injured his shoulder in Week 1 and never got back on the field. Taylor Heinicke took over for him and while he provided a spark sometimes was nowhere near as consistent as the team needed him to be to win.
Heinicke had a negative big throw to turnover worthy play ratio, registering only 18 big-time throws and 27 turnover-worthy ones. That just won’t cut it.
As a result, the Commanders need a new leader for the offense. They should be active on the trade market and one player that could make some sense for them is Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Raiders was mentioned as a possible trade candidate over at SpinZone and he would be a great fit in Washington. Washington has an elite offensive line, finishing sixth overall according to PFF. That is a huge jump up from where the Raiders were, as they finished 28th overall.
Washington also has a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver in place with Terry McLaurin, a good tight end in Logan Thomas and a strong running game spearheaded by Antonio Gibson. This is a great situation for any quarterback to land, as this offense should have performed better than it did, given the blocking the offensive line provided.
Carr would be a sizable upgrade and likely make Washington a dark horse contender for the NFC East title during the 2022 season. However, since that piece was written, the Raiders have hired Josh McDaniels to be their head coach.
Sometimes when a new regime is in place they want to bring in their own signal-caller, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here. McDaniels spoke glowingly of Carr and is excited to coach him. Carr is likely to play out his contract in Las Vegas this season and depending on how things go with McDaniels this season will determine if he is testing free agency in 2023 or has an extension worked out to keep him with the Raiders.
