Derek Carr looked at one point like he had the potential to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but his struggles from last season spilled over into 2018 with a rough game against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night. If that trend continues, will Jon Gruden go in another direction?
Gruden loves grooming young quarterbacks, and he was not with the Oakland Raiders when they drafted Carr. While he has spoken very highly of the 27-year-old, Will Brinson of CBS Sports raised an interesting point when he noted that the Raiders could save $15 million in salary cap space if they cut Carr before 2019.
Derek Carr's cap hit in 2019 is $22.5 million … but the Raiders could save $15 million in cap space if they decided to part ways.
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) September 11, 2018
Carr signed a five-year, $125 million extension last summer, so it seems unlikely that the franchise would just give up on him. However, Gruden already proved he is not afraid to make unpopular decisions when he traded Khalil Mack. Brinson wouldn’t be surprised if he also cut ties with Carr, especially now that Oakland has two additional first-round picks.
If you think Jon Gruden won't convince himself he can find his own QB using 2 first-round picks while saving $71 million in cap space over the next four years you haven't been paying enough attention to Jon Gruden.
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) September 11, 2018
Carr threw three interceptions in a 33-13 loss to the Rams. One game is not going to define his season, but he has fallen off quite a bit since he posted back-to-back productive years in 2015 and 2016. While Gruden had some extremely high praise for Carr over the summer, he’s a quarterback guy who isn’t going to accept mediocrity at the position — especially if it costs more than $20 million a year.
