NEWSLETTER
Derek Carr was in New Orleans on Wednesday to meet with the New Orleans Saints. A trade between the Saints and the Raiders for Carr likely hinges on Carr agreeing to a re-structured contract with the Saints. If Carr declines, he’ll likely become a free agent next week.
What will his market look like, and how will it affect the middle-tier quarterback market this offseason? We discuss that, what to do with Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley, and more in this week’s Extra Points column:
Have an opinion on these topics? Drop into the comments section and let me know what you think about this week’s subjects.
How will Derek Carr’s contract affect the middle-tier QB market?
A trade of Derek Carr will only happen if he agrees to a contract restructure. Or, in more matter-of-fact terms, a pay cut.
Let’s be realistic here for a second. The Raiders told Carr that he’s not good enough to win a Super Bowl, in essence. So do we really think he’s going to have another team tell him, well, we like you, but not that much, and take a pay cut?
Seems unlikely to me.
Carr’s next option is to decline a trade and force the Raiders to cut him next week. At which point, I think we will see the middle-tier quarterback market reset. The Raiders are moving on from Carr because he was owed $40.5 million on February 15.
Carr isn’t a $40 million quarterback. The Raiders know it. The Saints likely know it. And so does everyone else in the league. So when a guy like Carr sees his market crater, the rest of the league will view the NFL’s mid-tier quarterbacks differently.
At least, that’s my belief at this point.
What to do with Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley in New York
My takeaways from the Giants end-of-season media availability were this:
- Joe Schoen is all-in on Daniel Jones
- Not so much Saquon Barkley
An extension for Daniel Jones will be priority No. 1 for the Giants. However, since they declined his fifth-year option last year, he can walk as a free agent. Unless they franchise tag him and take the extension discussions up to training camp.
But what about Barkley?
At this point, I think franchise-tagging Barkley and using the extra time to work out an extension makes more sense for the Giants. In that scenario, they would also try to sign Daniel Jones to a shorter-term deal with a higher AAV and hope Jones values Brian Daboll’s role in his development and breakout season.
That also leaves the Giants some maneuverability if they feel like Daboll can’t get more out of Jones after next season. Jones has improved each season and was markedly improved this season, but still not a top-tier quarterback.
And pointing to the Derek Carr topic, I think we’re due for an adjustment in what quarterbacks outside the top tier are making. Does anyone believe that Daniel Jones is a $40 million-a-year quarterback? I certainly don’t. I don’t think the Giants do, either.
No one wants to coach Kyler Murray, apparently …
Things are bad when people turn down one of the world’s 32 NFL head coaching jobs. Well, that’s the situation in Arizona right now.
Even Brian Flores — who sued the NFL for their hiring practices regarding minority coaching candidates last year — was reportedly a finalist for the Cardinals job. Less than 24 hours after that report, Flores took the DC job in Minnesota.
Yikes.
So, if the reporting out there is true, Flores took a coordinator job over the Cardinals head coaching job. Which makes sense, because apparently, no one wants to coach Kyler Murray.
Last week, we learned that the Cardinals’ head coach search was slowed by candidates’ concerns over being tethered to Murray and his recently signed extension.
Suppose I’m new Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort. In that case, I’m working the phones to find a way to trade Murray to a team that is desperate enough to believe they can either 1) win now with what they have around the quarterback situation or 2) somehow get through to Murray.
The Cardinals have the third pick in the draft and can draft a quarterback to replace Murray. They’ll get picks back for Murray, and they have $14.4 million in cap space before any cuts. But, of course, it might be too late in the hiring process to even matter to a potential hire that would be an option.
The 49ers will roll the dice with Brock Purdy and Trey Lance in 2023
The San Francisco 49ers went into the 2022 season with Trey Lance as the starting quarterback. John Lynch hedged that decision by keeping Jimmy Garoppolo in the fold for one more season. Still, it took the 49ers a stroke of luck with Brock Purdy’s emergence to get to the NFC Championship game after Lance and Garoppolo were lost for the season.
The 49ers have now been to and lost back-to-back NFC title games. With a roster constructed to win now, it’s fair to wonder if the Purdy-Lance combination will be the plan for San Francisco in 2023.
You could have convinced me a week ago that Tom Brady could join his hometown team for one more run at Super Bowl No. 8. If Brady had another season in him, he would have easily been the better immediate option for the 49ers. Heck, he probably would have made them a legitimate Super Bowl favorite.
But with Brady out of the picture and the quarterback market down one major player, I can’t see San Francisco searching for a “Plan A” externally this offseason.
It’s more likely that Purdy (being the starter) and Lance (being the backup) are Plan A in 2023. And Plan B comes in the form of an affordable veteran backup this year.
Jacoby Brissett, Taylor Heinicke, and Mike White are free agents to be that immediately come to mind as potential fits.
While the concern is valid, I think that San Francisco is rolling with Purdy and Lance next season.
