Despite Russell Wilson's new connection to Las Vegas, Raiders GM Mayock said they 'couldn't be happier' with quarterback Derek Carr.
Raiders general manager Mike Mayock made it clear on Wednesday that Las Vegas doesn't intend to trade quarterback Derek Carr after he set numerous career highs during the 2020 season.
"I think Derek Carr had his best year yet, under Jon Gruden," Mayock said in a Zoom meeting with reporters, "I think he's one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, and we couldn't be happier with him. And I tell you every year—we evaluate every position every year. I have no idea who might call me [for a trade] or who might not call me. So, you have to do the evaluations, both on your own players and every other player in the league. And you've got to stack your boards and understand what league value is all around the league, and we do that."
The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback's name has been involved in trade rumors in the last few off-seasons, and this year isn't an exception. Once Russell Wilson's agent told ESPN last week that the Raiders were one of his four teams on his trade list if the Seahawks trade him, the chatter ramped up. Plus, there's the looming shadow of Deshaun Watson over the market as the Texans gunslinger continues to stand his ground about wanting to be traded out of Houston.
However, the Raiders seem set on keeping Carr.
"But if you're asking me [specifically] about Derek," Mayock said, "I think Jon and I would both stand shoulder to shoulder and pound the table for Derek Carr."
The 29-year-old is coming off of his third consecutive year under Gruden, and it was one of his strongest ever despite the Raiders finishing 8-8. Carr tallied career highs in passing yards (4,103), passer rating (101.4) and Total QBR (71.0) with 27 touchdowns and only nine interceptions. He signed a five-year, $125 million extension in June 2017 with the franchise, and has a career record of 47-63 with a single winning season.
The locker room also has been vocal in recent days backing their starting quarterback. Alec Ingold, said via the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Carr is "the guy," adding "I can't understand how anybody isn't ecstatic to have this guy as the quarterback."
Darren Waller, Carr's top target, told Good Morning Football on Wednesday that he has "all the belief in the world in Derek Carr," who is "a guy that can take us everywhere we want to go."