Quarterback Carousel

Edition #323

Good morning! ☀️

A week today we should have a very good steer on the Derek Carr situation, as the Raiders have a deadline of the 15th to make a decision.

Today, we’re going to have a quick update on the QB situation and where everything stands in relation to all the options.

There are a lot of rumors doing the rounds at the moment, and quite honestly I think a lot of them are educated guesses.

I’ve spoken to as many people as I possibly can over the weekend to get a sense of what’s actually happening, but the truth is that a lot of people know about as much as we do, which is to say, not a lot.

💼 According to Ian Rapoport the Minnesota Vikings are hiring Brian Flores to be their defensive coordinator. The former Miami head coach was in the running for the Arizona Cardinals head coaching job, but will now head up a talented Minnesota unit that severely underperformed in 2022, ranking 29th in points allowed per game.

🐅 Cardinals wide receiver A.J. Green announced his retirement from football yesterday. The longtime Bengal finished his 12-year career with 727 receptions for 10,514 yards and 70 touchdowns. Green started his career with 5 straight seasons with 1000+ receiving yards and was a 7-time Pro-Bowler.

📺 Tom Brady announced that he wouldn’t start his FOX broadcasting career until the 2024 season. That gives him one year to enjoy his retirement, or as some people will almost certainly speculate, come out of retirement to play one more season.

💲 According to a study that was done by a communications school. 82% of people look forward to Super Bowl adverts. Personally, I don’t think they’re as good as they used to be.

⚜️ According to Jeremy Fowler, the New Orleans Saints are set to name Joe Woods as their defensive coordinator, reuniting him with Dennis Allen who he coached with in Oakland. Woods was the Brown’s defensive coordinator between 2020-22.

🐴 I missed this yesterday, but the Panthers signed Ejiro Evero to be their new defensive coordinator. Considering what he did in Denver, I’d say the staff being put together by Frank Reich is a fine one.

Derek Carr

Here is what we know about the Derek Carr situation as it stands:

• On the 15th of February, there is a clause in his contract that triggers $40.4 million in future guaranteed money.

• Derek Carr has confirmed that he has no intention of extending that deadline to give the Raiders more time to trade him.

• He also has a full no-trade clause in his contract allowing him to veto any deals the Raiders manage to generate.

• As of today, no trade compensation agreements have been made between the Raiders and any other team, so Carr’s representatives have not been allowed to speak to any other team.

Those are the facts. But there are two big unknowns in this scenario right now:

1. Does Derek Carr have any interest in moving to the east coast to play with the Jets? He’s west coast guy, born there, went to college there, and spent his entire NFL career there.

2. Do the Jets have any interest in exploring a deal for Derek Carr?

I messaged Carr’s agent to get some clarity on that first point, but he didn’t return those messages. Having spoken to some people close to the Raiders, apparently, he doesn’t do a lot of talking, so I shouldn’t be overly surprised that we’re not getting any intel. On the second point, pretty much everyone I spoke to said yes, the Jets do/will have interest in exploring a deal for Carr if he’s released.