The Raiders are currently undergoing a rebuild, and no player is safe going forward.
That was on display recently, when the team had no problem parting ways with one of the best defenders in the NFL — trading Khalil Mack to the Bears for a pair of first-round draft picks.
Even “franchise” quarterback Derek Carr could be on the chopping block going forward. The team took him in the second round of the 2014 draft, and Carr signed a $125 million contract extension last summer. New head coach Jon Gruden may not want to go down that road with Carr, though, and may prefer to look elsewhere by drafting his own guy. Will Brinson of CBS Sports brought up some great points about that very subject.
Derek Carr's cap hit in 2019 is $22.5 million … but the Raiders could save $15 million in cap space if they decided to part ways. 🧐
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) September 11, 2018
If you think Jon Gruden won't convince himself he can find his own QB using 2 first-round picks while saving $71 million in cap space over the next four years you haven't been paying enough attention to Jon Gruden.
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) September 11, 2018
Carr turned in a poor performance in Monday’s game against the Rams, and he essentially threw his team out of the game with a few awful interceptions. He completed 29 of 40 passes for 303 yards, but his three interceptions were huge drive-killers.
The knock on Carr is that he struggles to read defenses and will force throws into coverage. He’s continued to do that, and it’s hurting the Raiders offense. Gruden may, very well, look to draft his own guy to mold and develop, as many new coaches do, given that it was the old regime that drafted Carr. And with a few extra first-round picks laying around, it certainly makes sense, on paper.
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