Mailbag: Will the Raiders trade up for a quarterback?

The NFL scouting combine is nearly upon us, and without question, the Raiders will be on the lookout for their next quarterback when they descend on Indianapolis on Tuesday.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean they will pull the trigger on one with their seventh overall pick in the first round of April’s NFL draft.

It doesn’t mean they won’t, either.

A lot can happen in the next couple of months. And without question, Raiders fans have tons of questions about that very thing.

Here is a sampling of what arrived in this week’s mailbag.

Go Raiders (@GoRaiders19): Any serious potential for the Raiders to move up in the first round?

VINCENT BONSIGNORE: The Raiders are extremely open to falling in love with a quarterback prospect to the point of trading up to get him. But they are also OK with that not happening.

What that means, ultimately, is they will let the evaluation process, which is now at full throttle, lead them to that decision. And the only way they can successfully do that is by approaching the process with no preconceived ideas and being open-minded about where these next two months take them.

Having said all that, come draft weekend — and maybe even before — they will be prepared to do what it takes to get the quarterback they fall in love with if the process leads them to that conclusion.

���� (@TheStoicRaider): Any news coming on the new defensive line coach?

VB: The Raiders fired Frank Okam after one year on the job. They have not yet announced a replacement, although there figures to be some progress on that when they get to Indianapolis.

diamondking (@sray916): Lots of talk about trading up in the first round or drafting a quarterback at No. 7 in the first round. What talk is there of trading down? Dave Ziegler is from the Patriots and they did this a lot.

VB: Definitely under consideration. But if they don’t move up or draft a quarterback at seven, keep an eye on an impact defensive player at that spot. The Raiders understand it’s high time they got that side of the ball figured out. But they won’t get cute if it means missing out on the best player available at that spot.

Say Hey Kid (@SayHeyKid12): Can the Raiders get Lamar Jackson?

VB: An intriguing thought to be sure. But Jackson is looking to match or exceed the fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract the Browns gave Deshaun Watson. So, between the draft capital it would take to get him and that kind of guaranteed money on a new contact, is that really wise?

G (@GCraps7112020): Can we get an official answer on whether Aaron Rodgers is being pursued?

VB: Nothing official, plus without the Packers officially making him available it’s all just a guessing game on what it would take to trade for him. If that turns out to be high on the compensation side, and you couple that with his age and the $60 million Rodgers is due in 2023, it means Rodgers would fall further down the Raiders’ option list.

Doug Siebert (@DougSiebert): Is linebacker Bobby Wagner in play?

VB: Doubtful at this point.

Gainer (@IP13th): Why did Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels get so many running backs, but only play one?

VB: Josh Jacobs deserves a ton of credit for making any thought of a rotation moot. But going back to the offseason and draft day, the Raiders only had one running back under contract. And even in that case — Jacobs — it was just for the 2022 season.

The Raiders needed to add running backs for the present while also preparing for the future. And keep this in mind: While Jacobs’ health and production parked the young rookies on the bench, it could have easily been a case where they needed to lean heavily on their depth had something gone wrong. It never came to that, but you always have to prepare for that possibility.

Christopher Rangel (@CRangel310): Did the Raiders expect to receive nothing for Derek Carr? Was showing their hand at the end of the season the right move?

VB: When the Raiders gave Carr a three-year contract, there were obvious reservations. That is why they negotiated an out clause after the 2022 season that allowed them to cut ties with Carr before the extension kicked in.

As he should have, Carr negotiated protection for himself with a no-trade clause in the event the Raiders opted against moving forward with him. He was not going to sign that extension without that protection, and the Raiders were not going to give him that protection without the out clause.

So yes, at the time of signing the Raiders understood there was a possibility of not getting any trade compensation from moving on from him. But for them, the ability to get out of the contract was acceptable compensation.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.