data-mm-id=”_bsevh8x1t”>At some point today, Derek Carr will hit the free agent market for the first time in his career. The longtime Raiders quarterback refused to waive his no-trade clause to facilitate a transaction to another team, so Las Vegas will cut him outright today in order to avoid paying him his $40 million guaranteed salary. Carr received some interest over the last month but most teams were unwilling to engage in any legitimate trade talks because his contract was too large in tandem with having to send out a draft pick. Now, though, he'll have plenty of suitors. Carr checks in as a slightly above-average QB so any team hoping to land him needs to have the cap space to pay him a pretty good salary. Not quite at what his Raiders contract was, but not far off, either. Something in the realm of $20-25 million per year seems about right; the length of the deal is entirely dependent on who Carr signs with. Here are a few possible free agency destinations for the multi-time Pro Bowl quarterback. New Orleans Saints The Saints were the only team engaged in serious trade talks with the Raiders prior to today, but never got a deal done because Carr wouldn't take a pay cut. It's fair for New Orleans to ask and fair for Carr to decline, so I doubt there are lingering hard feelings there that would get in the way of a new deal in free agency. New Orleans obviously does not believe Andy Dalton or Jameis Winston is the answer. Carr is better and more reliable than both parties. He'd go a long way towards helping the Saints seize a wide-open NFC South. The issue (as always!) is that the Saints are currently $57 million over the cap. They'll have to do quite a bit of gymnastics in order to get even with the cap before the new league year starts, much less create enough room to sign Carr, other free agents at positions of need, and their draft picks. But we talk about this every year and it never ends up mattering for New Orleans so that alone is not enough to eliminate them. It's absolutely a factor, though. New York Jets The Jets have a litany of options to choose from for their new quarterback. The top choice is still Aaron Rodgers, who will descend into darkness to decide if he wants to play next year and, if so, where he'd like to be. If he never emerges from that hovel or wants to stay with Green Bay, New York is onto the free agent market, where they can choose between Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo. Of those two options Garoppolo is a more proven winner but Carr is more durable and projects to have a slightly higher ceiling in a good offense. Regardless of pros and cons, the price point would make the decision for Gang Green. They are not deep in the red but they aren't drowning with cap space, either, and need to ink Quinnen Williams to a big extension. Carr is a better long-term option than Garoppolo so he should be the Jets' first choice and if a deal can be struck then New York has their guy for the next few years. Carolina Panthers None of the NFC South teams have a quarterback so they could all be on this list but the Panthers qualify for the final spot because Frank Reich is a QB coach who needs a QB. Owner David Tepper seems impatient and unwilling to sit back while hoping the draft board falls their way. Adding Carr would be better than their previous attempts at finding a long-term answer under center, which isn't saying much but is true! It wouldn't be a good idea but Carolina has oodles of cap space to work with and can afford to outbid most, if not all, of the other realistiic competitiors for Carr's services. He'd give Reich something to work with from Day 1 and is young enough to stick around for a while. Carr is not a reclamation project so it's an easier sell than the failed Darnold/Mayfield fever dream. It feels like another step on the treadmill of mediocrity but pairing Carr with a good defense and using their picks to juice up the offense makes for a playoff contender. Maybe not a championship contender, but merely average would be a massive improvement for the Tepper-era Panthers.
Related Posts
Inter Milan are expected to do a lot of business in the market this summer. The coming transfer window should be a busy one for them, as the club is preparing to improve their squad before another season in Champions League. In order to do that, they will need to improve in all areas of the pitch and defence is not an exception.
That is why, according to Calciomercato, Inter are interested in signing Matteo Darmian and Emerson Palmieri. The Manchester United right-back and Chelsea left-back could be good solutions both quality-wise and financially, as Inter are targeting players who are not playing much at their current clubs.
It is well known Darmian will leave Man United this summer and he is one of Nerazzuri s priorities, while Emerson could be a good option…
Kylian Mbappe s future continues to dominate headlines.
The Paris Saint-Germain star is a long-term target of Real Madrid.
With speculation over Cristiano Ronaldo s future, the two players could impact each other.
TOP STORY – MBAPPE OUT, RONALDO IN AT PSG?
Kylian Mbappe potentially joining Real Madrid could see Cristiano Ronaldo swap Juventus for Paris Saint-Germain, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
Mbappe has long been linked with LaLiga giants Madrid and a blockbuster move could impact Juve superstar Ronaldo.
If Ronaldo – also linked with Madrid and Manchester United – joins Ligue 1 powerhouse PSG, it could see Mauro Icardi leave Paris and land at Juve.
ROUND-UP
Former Inter and …
Pep Guardiola admits he is uncertain when David Silva will return to action for Manchester City.
The Spain star has not been involved since the 4-0 win over Bournemouth, with Guardiola citing personal reasons behind the playmaker s absence.
The 31-year-old was a telling absence for City as their 18-match winning run in the Premier League came to an end in Sunday s 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Guardiola would not expound the details behind Silva s time away from the first team, but stressed he would not be rushed back.
When asked about his return, he told a news conference: I don t know. When he is ready, he will come back. But his personal life is always more important than any other situation.
So, when he comes back it s becaus…
Zinedine Zidane is a magnificent coach who has earned the right to stay on and turn things around at Real Madrid, according to club icon Iker Casillas.
The Frenchman s future at the Santiago Bernabeu has been called into question on the back of one win in five matches in all competitions.
Madrid have won half of their 10 LaLiga matches and are down in fourth, while their hopes of progressing to the last 16 of the Champions League hang in the balance.
A horror 2-0 loss to Shakhtar Donetsk left Zidane s men third in Group B and needing to beat Borussia Monchengladbach on matchday six next week to guarantee progression.
Zidane guided Madrid to three successive Champions League titles in his first stint in charge and won a second LaLiga title last term.
…
Harry Redknapp believes Charlie Austin s long-term future at QPR could depend on the club remaining in the Premier League.
After moving his way up through the Football League with prolific spells at Swindon Town and then Burnley, Austin moved to QPR in 2013.
His 19 Championship goals fired the club to promotion via the play-offs as QPR bounced back at the first attempt following relegation from the top flight.
Austin has looked comfortable in his new surroundings, netting 11 league goals in 15 appearances to spark speculation about a possible England call-up.
In a press conference on Wednesday, ahead of the Boxing Day trip to Arsenal, Redknapp said the striker s future would potentially hinge on whether QPR retain their Premier League status.
He …
Tottenham have loaned out young forward Souleymane Coulibaly to Serie B strugglers Grosseto until the end of the season.
The striker made his first-team debut in a friendly against Stevenage in July but is yet to break into Andre Villas-Boas first-team plans at Premier League level.
Coulibaly was voted Ivory Coast s Young Player of the Year in 2011 after he netted an astonishing nine goals in only four games in the Under-17s World Cup.
The teenager has also previously spent some time with Siena, featuring 10 times for their Under-19s and scoring one goal.
Grosseto currently find themselves at the bottom of the league in Serie B, 11 points away from safety.
…
English football clubs are spending hundreds of millions of pounds on new players ahead of the 2008/09 Premier League season but are also selling big stars to balance their books amid the credit crunch.
Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool are among the biggest spenders this close season as they seek to snatch the Premier League crown from Manchester United, but all three have also sold key players for large sums.
Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood warned in July that the ongoing credit crunch, which has caused banks around the world to substantially reduce their lending, should be a serious concern for England s biggest clubs.
People need to be waking up to the realities of the world and that the days of easy money have come to a pretty sudden end, Hill-Wood told Ar…
Aaron Ramsey insists his focus is fully on Wales’ Euro 2024 ambitions amid uncertainty over his Nice future.
Ramsey has triggered a one-year contract extension at Nice after playing more than 30 games for the Ligue 1 club this season.
But it has been reported in the French media that the 32-year-old midfielder wants a longer deal to stay at Nice and that may not be forthcoming.
Big week
…
Arsenal have secured a deal to sign Japan striker Takuma Asano from Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
The Gunners confirmed on Sunday that a deal has been agreed in principle subject to the completion of a medical and regulatory processes .
Arsenal did not give any details over the length of contract that has been agreed with Asano, but manager Arsene Wenger was delighted to land the 21-year-old.
Wenger said: Takuma is a talented young striker and very much one for the future.
He has had an impressive start to his career in Japan and we look forward to him developing over the next couple of years.
Asano has five international caps for Japan after making his debut against North Korea in August 2015 and scored his first goal against Bulgaria last month.
<…
Middlesbrough have been linked with a surprise move for Fenerbache forward Robin Van Persie, .
The North East outfit are looking to strengthen their attack as they prepare for their first season back in the top flight and have identified the thirty-two year old as their top target.
The Netherlands international only moved to the Turkish outfit last summer, and netted twenty goals in forty-five appearances in all competitions during the 2015/16 campaign.
Prior to his move to the Super Lig side, Van Persie spent three years with Manchester United, having spent eight years with fellow English top-flight side Arsenal.
He is the tenth highest goalscorer in Premier League history having netted one hundred and forty-four in the eleven years he played in t…