The 2023 quarterback carousel got even more interesting when the Raiders announced Wednesday they were benching Derek Carr for the rest of the season with an eye toward trading the quarterback next season.
Some even believe the Patriots could take a stab at Carr at the expense of their own young signal-caller.
Eric Edholm of NFL Media proposed a blockbuster shakeup that would send Mac Jones to the Las Vegas Raiders for a reunion with Josh McDaniels in exchange for Carr, who has apparently run out of favor in Vegas.
“Belichick has praised Carr multiple times in the past, although the Patriots' defense did clamp down on Carr in the second half of their wild meeting a few weeks ago,” Edholm notes. “The shiny object in this trade scenario clearly would be Mac Jones. If the Patriots decide they’ve run the course with Jones at season’s end, there’s arguably no better-equipped coach to resuscitate Jones’ career than McDaniels, who guided him to a Pro Bowl season last year as a rookie in New England.”
Jones, as we all know, has struggled heavily in his second season in no small part because of the offensive coaching staff. But he also has simply regressed in things that are under his control and shown some immaturity in his on-field actions, making it hard to see him as the Patriots’ quarterback of the future just a year after going to the playoffs as a rookie.
A career reset with McDaniels and getting to play with some outstanding skill players (for a little while, anyway) could get him back on track to establishing himself as am NFL starter.
Carr, meanwhile, seems to have struggled to jell with McDaniels and a loaded offense but did just throw for 4,804 yards in 2021. His production is clear, and he could probably be an upgrade over Jones if given a respectable play-caller.
His contract also isn’t as onerous as it looks. Though he signed a three-year, $121 million extension before this season, the deal is extremely team-friendly and easy to move on from at any time (case in point).
There’s also the chance that Carr could simply be cut after the Super Bowl if no trade options emerge and New England could just sign him after trading Jones.
The reality, though, is that swapping Jones for Carr probably isn’t a big enough move of the needle to justify trading away the former No. 15 pick, especially if you’re talking about getting an offensive coordinator that seems to vibe better with Jones in Bill O’Brien.
On a similar note, what do we think Carr would do that much better with this relatively uninspiring receiving corps?
It’s fair for the Patriots to evaluate their options at quarterback, though there’s still a lot of value in sticking with Jones if you believe he can perform better with more competent coaching. A veteran addition to this equation isn’t out of the question next year.
But Carr likely wouldn’t be the game-changer some might be hoping for.