Raiders general manager Mike Mayock has been direct about his philosophy since joining the franchise, saying he evaluates every position, quarterback included, every offseason.
That’s led to rampant speculation regarding Derek Carr’s status as the Raiders’ signal-caller, no matter how much praise Mayock heaps upon Carr.
The GM reiterated his stance during his NFL combine press conference, complete with plenty of favorable comments about Carr, the Raiders QB for the last six seasons.
During a separate interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio, Mayock repeated much of what he said about Carr during his press conference: that he completed 70 percent of his passes, had a 3-to-1 touchdown to interception ratio, and the Raiders were No. 11 in total yards and ninth in passing yards in 2019.
But in the midst of his praise, one of his interviewers excitedly pointed out that Carr is also already signed to a deal and he’s young, at nearly 29 years old. That’s when Mayock identified yet another positive aspect regarding Carr—his contract.
“And there’s no guaranteed money left. I mean, everything—he’s 28 years old, right? And he just completed 70 percent of his passes. And I try to tell people, I think that point No. 1 is, listen, we’ve got a quarterback in year two with Jon Gruden that’s playing at a high level. There aren’t many human beings out there that can play at a higher level than he does.”
Carr’s contract, signed in 2017 under a different front-office regime, is indeed largely devoid of guaranteed money in 2020. That factor alone has increased speculation about Carr’s future because it makes moving on from Carr easier for Mayock and coach Jon Gruden.
To Mayock, the flexibility afforded by Carr’s deal is an advantage, which is what former GM Reggie McKenzie surely had in mind when he inked Carr.
All of Mayock’s comments about his QB situation taken together make it clear that he’s looking at all of his options. That he noted Carr would be easy to move on from only further hammers the point home.
But the on-field positives he listed about Carr are valid. With the abundant needs on defense that were outlined by Mayock in his press conference, it’s easy to imagine the Raiders bolstering their roster while keeping their eyes peeled for a player that can ultimately perform even better than Carr.
It remains possible the Raiders could find that player this offseason and have a new signal-caller in 2020.
Or, with an improved roster, perhaps Carr can lead his team to a winning record in 2020 and secure a long-term deal with the current Raiders regime, finally solidifying his position with the Raiders for years to come. Stay tuned. It seems that with Mayock, there are few guarantees.
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