Derek Carr's days in Las Vegas appear to be all but numbered. Two weeks after getting benched for Jarrett Stidham for the remainder of the 2022 season, Carr posted his official goodbye to the Raiders on social media on Thursday. The team is in the beginning stages of evaluating the trade market for Carr, per NFL Media.
Carr, who signed a three-year, $121.5 million extension this offseason, could be cut or traded for just a $5.6 million cap hit if the move is made within three days of the Super Bowl (Feb. 15); that's when his $40.4 million in salary over the next two seasons becomes guaranteed. If a trade is not reached by that deadline, the Raiders will release Carr, per The Athletic.
So, who could be the Raiders' next quarterback in 2023? We break down a list of possible candidates.
Top options
Top Options
| 1 | 
Tom Brady
Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB
|
| Brady is the first obvious possibility. He could reunite with Josh McDaniels after a 2022 season with Todd Bowles that has been a grind in Tampa Bay. He could still have a desire to play in 2023 and beyond, though will turn 46 next August. Question is, would he want to play in a division with Patrick Mahomes and with a defense as bad as the Raiders? When he signed with Tampa Bay in 2020, they had the makings of one of the best defenses in the league, which turned out to be true. | |
| 2 | 
Aaron Rodgers
Green Bay Packers QB
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| It's anyone's best guess where Rodgers will play in 2023. The Packers are making an improbable playoff push, but like Brady, it's been one of the toughest seasons of his career. Trade or retirement could be an option. Rodgers would have to be option 1A or 1B for the Raiders, given he's the back-to-back reigning MVP and could reunite with Davante Adams . However, like with Brady, would Rodgers want to play in this division and with this defense? Green Bay's defensive unit has been like Swiss cheese in the playoffs with Rodgers, but imagine him with Las Vegas' unit. | |
| 3 | 
Jimmy Garoppolo
San Francisco 49ers QB
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| If it's not Brady, the other QB with obvious connections to Josh McDaniels is Jimmy Garoppolo , who was with McDaniels on the Patriots from 2014-17. Garoppolo will be a free agent this offseason and could be a long-term bridge to the Raiders' quarterback of the future. Garoppolo may not be much of an upgrade over Carr, but he would probably be cheaper. | |
| 4 | 
Baker Mayfield
Los Angeles Rams QB
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| It was only three weeks ago that Mayfield put the kibosh on the Raiders' playoff hopes by leading a miraculous comeback against Las Vegas two days after signing with the Rams , capped by a 98-yard touchdown drive. He's a free agent this offseason, and the former No. 1 pick could be a cheap option. His stock is rising after Week 16's 50-point game. So yeah, it's possible. | |
| 5 | ROOKIE |
| Unless the Raiders can land Brady or Rodgers, they have to seriously think about drafting a QB in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, along with potentially bringing in a veteran QB. They are currently slotted for the ninth pick, just outside the expected range for Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud or Will Levis. Will they want to make a costly play up the board like San Francisco did in 2021? | |
Long shots
Long shots
Geno Smith
Seattle Seahawks QB
| |
| Smith may be the most attractive veteran option out there not named Brady or Rodgers, but I can't see the Seahawks letting him get away. He'll be a free agent this offseason but Seattle could always throw the exclusive franchise tag on him if it can't strike a long-term deal. Seattle is projected to have a top-five pick from the Russell Wilson trade, but I'd be surprised if the Seahawks didn't at least view him as their 2023 starter. | |
Jared Goff
Detroit Lions QB
| |
| Detroit looks primed to draft a quarterback in 2023, thanks to the projected top-10 pick from the Matthew Stafford trade. But, similar to the Seahawks with Geno Smith, Goff has proven a reliable starter in 2023 who can at the very least be a long-term bridge to the future. | |
Russell Wilson
Denver Broncos QB
| |
| Wilson got a vote of confidence from Broncos GEO Greg Penner and GM George Paton on Tuesday. Considering that and his contract situation, Wilson to the Raiders seems far-fetched. | |
Ryan Tannehill
Tennessee Titans QB
| |
| Tannehill will enter the final year of his contract in 2023, but the Titans can save a chunk of his salary by cutting him. He's probably not as attractive at this point as a veteran like Jimmy Garoppolo, who has familiarity with McDaniels. | |
Daniel Jones
New York Giants QB
| |
| Jones will be a free agent this offseason and has shaken the narrative as a turnover-prone QB in his first season with Brian Daboll. The only QB with a lower turnover rate than Jones this year is Jalen Hurts. Even if the Giants don't bring him back, there's many veteran QBs likely ahead of him on the Raiders' wish list. | |
Lamar Jackson
Baltimore Ravens QB
| |
| Jackson would jump to the top of every team's wish list if he somehow hit the open market in 2023. He will be an unrestricted free agent, but either a new deal or the exclusive franchise tag has to be the outcome. | |
Carson Wentz
Washington Commanders QB
| |
| Wentz has no guaranteed money left with two years remaining on his contract after 2022, but he's a less attractive option than Tannehill with how his tenures in Indianapolis and Washington are shaping up. | |
Zach Wilson
New York Jets QB
| |
| Wilson's days look numbered with the Jets so the Raiders have to at least be one potential suitor who could take a flyer on him. It's much more likely they draft someone or go with a veteran, though. | |
