Raiders officially cut Derek Carr, who’s the next QB to join the AFC West?

The AFC West is already loaded with good quarterbacks.

Could another one be joining shortly? The Las Vegas Raiders are officially in the market after releasing QB Derek Carr on Tuesday. The move was largely expected and saves the team significant money.

The divorce had been brewing since Carr sat out the last two games of the season, thanks to head coach Josh McDaniels pulling the plug on one of the best quarterbacks in Raiders history.

Raiders officially informed QB Derek Carr that he has been released, per source. Team released him before $40.4 million in his contract became guaranteed today.

Carr is now a free agent and is expected to draw interest from the Saints and Panthers, amongst others. pic.twitter.com/X2v6pDecqP

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 14, 2023

For Broncos fans, this is an interesting day. Carr’s a solid QB, but certainly not at the level of Patrick Mahomes and probably not Justin Herbert. If the Raiders take a step back at quarterback, that’s great news for Denver. If they get better, it makes a tough division even tougher.

So, who will be the next QB to join the AFC West? Well, these odds are about two weeks old, but haven’t changed much. Tom Brady was once thought to be in that conversation, but is no longer after the QB retired earlier this month.

In the wake of Tom Brady's retirement announcement, the odds for the #Raiders QB Week 1 next season have changed, via @SportsBettingAG: pic.twitter.com/iOtDneQMce

— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardNFL) February 1, 2023

Brady still makes the list after all, because he’s Brady. And he could change his mind again and come back. But for Broncos fans, this list has some possibilities that would be better than others. Jarrett Stidham would certainly be fine — he has potential but is nowhere close to a star.

Jimmy G? That’d be fine. But Aaron Rodgers or Lamar Jackson would be a disaster. Either guy joining Las Vegas would easily make Russell Wilson the fourth best quarterback in the division. That’s not something fans envisioned when the Broncos traded for Wilson and gave him a cool $245 million contract extension.

The wild card in all of this is does anyone actually want to play for McDaniels? He was a tyrant in Denver and drove Carr out of town after just 15 games. It’s not like he appears to be the easiest guy to work for. We’ll see how it shakes out, but it will certainly dictate if the Raiders are viewed as contenders or pretenders in 2023.

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