The Raiders are set to release franchise quarterback Derek Carr this week as the team looks to rebuild and reshape their roster after a down 2022 season. The news about Carr isn’t surprising, but it does make sense given how he’s played over the last few years.
But will Carr be the only big-name player released this offseason? The answer is probably not. In a recent article by Jeremy Fowler, he wrote that many people around the league believe the Raiders could make some surprise cuts this season:
“There are rumblings that Las Vegas will reset parts of its roster in the mold of coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler. It wouldn’t surprise if the Raiders trade or release a few veterans as a result.”
There aren’t many obvious names that come to mind, but Darren Waller could be a player that the team moves on from this offseason. Waller just got a pay raise from the Raiders. but he’s played just 20 games over the last two seasons.
The Raiders could trade Waller and save over $11 million, which would be enough to retain Darren Waller if that’s the direction they decided to go. The good news is that the Raiders will have a ton of cap space after the Carr release, which means they don’t even have to consider a move like this unless they are ready to move on from Waller.
With Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels fully in control of the franchise, it will be fascinating to see what moves they make and don’t make over the next two months.
