Las Vegas Raiders general manager Mike Mayock didn’t exactly put an end to rumors the team is looking to move on from Derek Carr on Tuesday. The executive spoke to the media on the second day of the league’s draft combine, and as ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported on Twitter , Mayock was happy with the way Carr played in 2019 but wouldn’t turn down a chance to get someone better if the opportunity presented itself.
“Derek played at a high level last season. I’m very happy with Derek. But as I’ve said before, we will evaluate every position on our roster and if there’s a chance to upgrade, we will look into that.”
Mayock was asked the question specifically because of the rumblings the Raiders are indeed looking to upgrade and should find out in March whether the opportunity will indeed present itself.
Almost since the day the Super Bowl ended, Las Vegas has been mentioned as a potential suitor for New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. In fact, there were some reports that the Patriots icon was “buddy-buddy” with Raiders owner Mark Davis during festivities surrounding Super Bowl weekend.
For his part, Carr has acknowledged he’s heard the rumors and hasn’t been shy admitting they have bothered him to some degree. Speaking to ESPN ‘s Paul Gutierrez last month, he pointed out he feels like people should be happier about the direction the franchise is headed.
“‘Everything’s getting better, and we know where we need to add things and where we [need] help.’ You would think that that would be the story. But that’s not how it works. And I understand that now.”
At the same time, he’s talked about making the best of whatever happens in the coming months while hoping he’ll still be playing in Las Vegas in 2020. As Bleacher Report points out, the quarterback is coming off a season in which he posted career highs in yardage (4,054) and completion percentage (70.4) while throwing 21 touchdowns to just eight interceptions.
He also led his team to their best record in three years and helped stage quite a turnaround from 2018. That year, they posted a dismal 4-12 record despite Carr posting what had been previous career highs in yards (4,049) and completion percentage (68.9).
The quarterback also helped lead the Raiders to their only playoff appearance in the last 16 years in 2016 when the team went 12-4 but lost in the wild-card round. As The Inquisitr has reported before, should the Raiders place Carr on the trading block, there would be no shortage of teams interested in him. Most recently, the Chicago Bears have led the pack of potential suitors.
