NFL Rumors: Raiders Could Have Secret Plans For Derek Carr

Until today, it was hard to believe that the Oakland Raiders would even consider trading away Derek Carr. The 27-year-old quarterback seems to be a good fit to the system of head coach Jon Gruden although there could be other reasons if an NFL trade is truly in the works.

Suggestions of Derek Carr being on the block comes from the Bleacher Report. Master Tesfatsion claims that the Raiders were shopping the second round pick of the 2014 NFL Draft at the Scouting Combine.

There is no telling if this report is factual or reliable. But in the event that there is any truth to it, the Raiders would best have a quarterback in mind already to take his place before offering Carr to other teams.

Adding the financial side of things, Carr is due $20 million in compensation this year, Yahoo Sports reported. His salary will become fully guaranteed after the Super Bowl so trading him beforehand would result in a cap charge of $7.5 million in 2019.

Further to that report, the Raiders may be up to something. They could be checking the free agent market and looking to add a veteran quarterback. Among the names suggested include Nick Foles or even Ryan Fitzpatrick, vets who could do better under Gruden's style.

Beyond that, taking in a young quarterback that they can help train would also make sense. In all, the suggested trade seems more about the money that the Raiders can save (or waste). The Raiders may be doing their math as we speak, looking at which between these options would be cost-efficient and something that would be best for the team.

Aside from that, there is also the current relationship that Carr has with coach Gruden and the team. According to the New York Post, the 27-year-old drew flak on his ability to lead and even got into a heated exchange with Gruden.

As far as that spat that went down last November, Gruden has downplayed all that and said that it was nothing more than two players just being competitive.

But as one can see, there are plenty of precedents to consider. Some may call trading away Carr as foolish while others feel that there is something more to it - internally. Will it happen? Some critics feel it won't but anything is possible at this stage.