Should the Arizona Cardinals take a big chance on Derek Carr?
By Sion Fawkes
The Arizona Cardinals need to rebuild and it would be counterintuitive to trade for Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.
Last week, I stated the Arizona Cardinals had good odds to sign (or trade for) Derek Carr, depending on what the Las Vegas Raiders decide to do with him. Predictably, the Raiders will look to shop Carr, and if they have no takers, will cut him loose.
Given recent revelations surrounding Kyler Murray in both his lack of work ethic and the fact he may not be ready to open the season, the Redbirds should take a big chance and sign Carr if he is available. The Cardinals, a rebuilding football team following an abysmal 4-13 outing, should not trade for 31-year-old Carr, but he could be a steal if the Raiders ended up releasing him.
The Arizona Cardinals should take a big chance on Derek Carr
Right now, things are looking bleaker and than bleak for Murray. It’s one thing when critics call you out, but it’s another ballgame when a teammate does it. If one teammate feels this way, others probably do as well.
And the fact that they wish to remain anonymous tells me that Murray has a bit of an iron grip over the organization. Simply put, a player wishing to remain unnamed is too intimidated to come clean with their identity, likely for fear of retaliation.
In today’s world, this stuff isn’t tolerated in a traditional work culture, and it shouldn’t be tolerated in the NFL. Signing Carr if the Raiders release him will signal a culture change, and also show Murray that he doesn’t have as much power as he may otherwise feel he’s entitled to.
Signing Carr would make a lot of sense
While it’s true Carr hasn’t won a playoff game in nine seasons with the Raiders, the same held true for another quarterback who spent the latter portion of his career in the desert. So perhaps history will repeat itself if Carr winds up with the Redbirds.
Carr would also join that quarterback, plus another quarterback whose career looked finished, only to enjoy success under center in Arizona. He would also provide a stable veteran presence to what will be a young football team, and he is also a more prolific passer than Murray.
It’s true he had a bad season in 2022. But between 2018 and 2021, Carr threw for over 4,000 yards in each season, had a completion percentage no worse than 67.3%, and his yards per attempt dipped no lower than 7.0. He also notched a passer rating of at least 100 in two of those four seasons.
light. Hot. Cardinals: Kyler Murray’s career is officially at crossroads
Bottom Line: The Arizona Cardinals must take a big chance on Carr IF the Raiders don’t trade him. If they do, there will be plenty of quarterbacks out there who can fill in for Murray.
(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference)
Article Source: Raiders will cut QB Derek Carr if he isn’t traded by specific date by Mike Santa Barbara
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