Will the Raiders trade Derek Carr? General manager says that no one is ‘untouchable’
After trading away Amari Cooper on Monday, there’s a chance that the Raiders might not be done wheeling and dealing.
During an interview this week, Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie left the door wide open when it comes to the possibility that the Raiders might pull off another deal or two before the NFL’s trade deadline on Oct. 30. The most surprising part of McKenzie’s comments is that he wouldn’t rule out anyone as a possible trade candidate, including quarterback Derek Carr.
“I’m not going to say anyone’s untouchable,” McKenzie said, via ESPN.com. “In my heart of hearts would I hate to lose some players more than others? Absolutely. I know the difficulty in replacing, whether it’s positions I feel stronger about than others.”
After trading Cooper and Khalil Mack, the Raiders now have five first-round picks over the next two years and that’s a big reason why they’ve been willing to make these deals. According to McKenzie, trading players away makes sense for the Raiders because it gives them a “great opportunity to build.”
“The lines, as far as communication for me with any team, will always be open to anyone on any one of our players,” McKenzie said. “Whether I’m going to like it or not, more than likely it’s hard to say that anybody is untradeable … this is where we get a great opportunity to build.”
With the Raiders seemingly open to trading anyone and everyone, Jon Gruden was asked on Wednesday about the possibility of Carr getting dealt before the trade deadline.
“I don’t see us making any more trades,” Gruden said, via the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Certainly, I don’t see us trading our quarterback.”
However, Gruden did note that things could “change” and the Raiders could end up pulling off another trade or two.
On Carr’s end, he seems ready for anything.
“My brother once told me, ‘If they cut Peyton Manning, they will cut you one day.’ I understand the business,” Carr said, via the Athletic. “I am the quarterback here today.”
The thing is, just because Gruden said a Carr trade isn’t going to happen doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen and Cooper is proof of that. On Oct. 14, Gruden shot down Cooper trade rumors by pointing out that the wide receiver was going to be a “big part” of the Raiders’ pass offense. Eight days later, Cooper was on his way out of Oakland.
Gruden’s decision to trade Cooper seems to have caused a rift in the Raiders’ locker room.
“The Mack trade was a real stiff jab,” one player anonymously told the Athletic. “But the Cooper one was like a knockout punch, especially because we had just walked back in the door from the bye. We didn’t want to believe it was coming, and Coach said we weren’t going to trade him.”
With a potentially fractured locker room, it could be interesting to see what happens in Oakland over the next week.
CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora, who previously reported that the Raiders would be willing to dump anyone and everyone, has a list of several players in Oakland who might get dealt before Oct. 30. La Canfora also has one team that would be a perfect fit for Carr. For the full story from La Canfora, be sure to click here.
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