There has been an abundance of Derek Carr trade rumors floating around in recent weeks, but Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden shut them all down.
Doing everything he could to put an end to the discussion, Gruden said he loved what Carr did last year and is “anxious to continue to build around him.”
“Consistent on what I have said. I really think Derek is a heck of a player,” Gruden said, speaking with Vic Tafur of The Athletic. “And I have a lot of respect for what he has done and with some tough circumstances. So I’m not going answer every media rumor out there — just can’t do it. I’m just going to listen to my Sirius rock ‘n roll classic vinyl and keep working. But I love what Derek Carr did, love what he brings to our team and anxious to continue to build around him.”
As recently as Wednesday morning, it’s been reported by NFL insiders that Carr is being “heavily shopped” by the Raiders.
If that’s the case, then Gruden is quite simply playing the role of a tenured politician so that any potential trade garners Las Vegas the highest return possible.
Carr did put up nice stats last season for the 7-9 Raiders. He completed a career-high 70.4% of his passes for 4,054 yards with 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Unfortunately, he also came up small during some key moments and led an offense that never lied up to its full potential.
With that in mind, we’re still not sold on the Raiders standing pat without exploring other options.