Pros And Cons Of Bucs Acquiring QB Carr In 2023

Tom Brady’s retirement last Wednesday has put the Bucs in a bind. With only one quarterback under contract in 2023 – the unproven Kyle Trask – Tampa Bay is not only looking for an offensive coordinator to replace Byron Leftwich, but also a starter to quarterback the team.

Pewter Report has detailed the Bucs’ options to replace Brady this offseason with couple of big-name quarterbacks, some veteran bridge quarterbacks and a shaky QB class in the 2023 NFL Draft. After profiling what trading for Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers might look like, Pewter Report takes a closer look at the pros and cons of acquiring Las Vegas’ Derek Carr.

The Raiders are moving on from Carr after nine seasons. Las Vegas benched him for the last two games because the team didn’t want to be on the hook for $32.9 million guaranteed in 2023 and another $7.5 million in 2024 if he suffered a serious injury at the end of the season.

Carr signed a four-year contract worth $121,422,481 last offseason, but it was really a one-year prove-it deal because it contained only $24.9 million, including $17.4 million in base salary in 2023. The Raiders can get rid of him before Feb. 15 and save $29.25 million in cap room. If he’s not traded or released by Feb. 15, then $40.4 million becomes fully guaranteed and Las Vegas would be on the hook for that.

Because the contract was essentially a one-year deal to give new head coach Josh McDaniels the chance to evaluate Carr, the team did give the QB a no-trade clause. If the Raiders wanted to part ways with Carr in the 2023 offseason, which they will, Carr will have to approve any trade destination.

Pewter Report’s Josh Queipo examined what it would mean financially for the Bucs to acquire either Carr or Rodgers. But assuming the money and salary cap situation can be worked out in Tampa Bay’s favor, let’s look at what the pros and cons of the former Raiders star in red and pewter would look like.

Carr’s Pros As The New Bucs QB

Young And Durable

Carr turns 32 on March 28. He’s seven years younger than Rodgers and still has plenty of years left as a starting-caliber QB in the NFL. He has been a very durable quarterback, missing just three games due to injury out of a possible 146 games. That does not include the two games for which he was benched at the end of the 2022 season.

Carr suffered a broken bone in his right leg in the second-to-last game of the 2016 season in which he helped lead the Raiders to a 12-3 start. He missed Oakland’s season finale against Kansas City and the playoff game, a 27-14 loss at Houston.

Licht Has Seen Him Play The Bucs Twice

Carr has faced the Bucs twice, winning in Tampa Bay, 30-24, in 2016 and losing in Las Vegas in 2020, 45-20. He completed 40-of-59 passes (67.8%) with four touchdowns and no interceptions in the first matchup. Against Todd Bowles’ defense in 2020, Carr completed 24-of-36 (66.7%) passes for 284 yards with two TDs and one INT.

There was some speculation that the Bucs might have selected him out of Fresno State in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft had he made it to the No. 38 overall pick. But the Raiders drafted Carr at No. 36 instead, and Licht drafted tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins.

Prolific Passer, 4x Pro Bowler

Carr became the Raiders’ all-time touchdown pass leader (217) and was the first QB in Raiders history to pass for 30,000 career yards. He also became just the fifth player in NFL history with at least 30,000 yards in his first eight years in the league.

The NFL is a pass-first league and he passed for 4,000 yards in four straight seasons (2018-21) before passing for just 3,522 in 15 games this season. He’s only had one season with less than 20 TDs (19 in 2018), and had a career-high 32 TDs in 2015. Carr was a four-time Pro Bowler from 2015-17 and again in 2022. He’s averaged a respectable 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions over his nine seasons with the Raiders.

Fairly Mobile QB

Not known for his mobility, Brady was a statue in the pocket quarterbacking the Bucs during his early 40s. While not a scrambling quarterback, Carr does have some good mobility in and out of the pocket. He has run for 845 yards and six touchdowns on 278 carries (3.0 avg.) and has five runs of 20 yards or more in his career, including a 20-yarder last year and a 22-yarder in 2021.

Good Leader On And Off The Field

Known for his community service with the Raiders, Carr is a team captain who was well liked by his Las Vegas teammates. His leadership helped the Raiders navigate Jon Gruden’s abrupt, forced resignation in 2021, as well as the tragedy involving Las Vegas receiver Henry Ruggs’ deadly DUI case. He would likely be well received in Tampa Bay’s locker room and huddle.

Carr’s Cons As The New Bucs QB

Compensation To Trade For Carr

What will it take for Tampa Bay to trade for him? Of course, the Bucs (and other teams) would love to not have to surrender draft capital to acquire Carr in a trade. But the Raiders would like to get some compensation in return for the veteran QB.

Las Vegas has given him clearance to talk to teams that may be interested in acquiring him, as Carr has say-so in his next destination. If the Bucs are interested in trading for him, the Raiders would prefer to send him to the NFC rather than to an AFC team where Las Vegas might have to face him down the road in the playoffs.

So, what type of draft package would the Bucs have to send to the Raiders for Carr if they wanted to pull the trigger on a trade? Indianapolis sent Carson Wentz, a 2022 second-round pick and a 2022 seventh-round pick to Washington for a 2022 second-round pick, a 2022 third-round pick and a conditional 2023 third-round pick if Wentz played 70% of the snaps with the Commanders.

The guess here is that similar type of deal would have to be offered up to Las Vegas. Of course, it depends on how many teams are interested in Carr and what the bidding war looks like. The Bucs have a lot of needs to fill in the 2023 NFL Draft and need to keep as many picks as they can, but burning one on a veteran QB would certainly be wisely spent.

Coming Off A Down Season

With the way his contract extension was worked, Carr bet on himself in 2022 – and lost. Carr completed 60.8% of his passes last year, which was his lowest completion percentage since his rookie season in 2014 (58.1%). He also tied his career-high of 14 interceptions in 2021, but played in all 17 games that season and only 15 this year.

Carr had the highest interception percentage of his career (2.8%), while his TD percentage was 4.8%, which was fourth-highest of his career. He did not mesh well with McDaniels, the Raiders new coach, and he went 6-9 as a starter. Last year, the Raiders really underachieved and became the first team in NFL history to blow four double-digit halftime leads.

Not A Winner With The Raiders

Carr had a 63-79 overall record in the regular season and produced just two winning seasons in nine years with the Raiders. After a 3-13 record as a rookie starter in 2014, the Raiders improved to 7-9 the next year before a 12-3 record with Carr before he suffered a broken leg near the end of the 2016 season.

But Carr and the Raiders went 6-9, 4-12, 7-9 and 8-8 from 2017-20 before making the playoffs with a 10-7 record that started with Gruden and finished with interim head coach Rich Bisaccia. Carr completed 29-of-54 passes (53.7%) for 310 yards with one touchdown and one interception in a 26-19 loss at Cincinnati. He was sacked three times by the eventual AFC Super Bowl team and lost a fumble in that playoff loss.

Las Vegas went 6-9 in 15 games with Carr under center this year. This despite plenty of weapons to throw to in newly acquired Pro Bowl receiver Davante Adams, Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller, slot receiver Hunter Renfrow, Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs and change-of-pace back Kenyan Drake.

Is He Tough Enough In The Pocket?

Brady did everything he could to avoid taking sacks in Tampa Bay, especially last year when he would quickly get rid of the ball – sometimes too quickly. There are mixed opinions on Carr’s perceived toughness in the pocket. He will take some sacks – some unnecessarily, evidenced by 51 sacks in 2018, 40 sacks in 2021 and 27 last year in 15 games.

The Bucs offensive line was a team strength in the team’s 2020 Super Bowl season and its 13-4 season in 2021. But Tampa Bay’s offensive line was shaky last year with three new starters along the interior and a terrible season from left tackle Donovan Smith. Brady was only sacked 22 times last year, but that was more of a testament to Brady’s quick release than the protection he received from the injury-riddled O-line. How many sacks would Carr take behind Tampa Bay’s offensive line? Surely more than 22.

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