Raiders feel ripple effect of NFL quarterback deals

A week before the start of free agency, the NFL quarterback dominoes began falling on Tuesday. The ripple effect was felt all the way to Las Vegas.

First came the news that Aaron Rodgers will remain in Green Bay with a four-year contract that could reportedly pay him as much as $200 million. Almost immediately after, it was reported that the Packers would apply the non-exclusive franchise tag to star wide receiver Davante Adams, meaning a team would surrender two first-round picks to the Packers if they negotiated a contract with Adams that the Packers opted against matching.

A short while later, the Denver Broncos, who had been linked to Rodgers as a potential landing spot should he opt to leave Green Bay, solidified their quarterback spot by trading for Seattle Seahawks star Russell Wilson.

With the dust settled — for now — the Raiders now face an AFC West in which they will deal with three talented quarterbacks — Wilson, Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes and Chargers sensation Justin Herbert.

In fact, based on ESPN’s Raw QBR stat, the division now features four of the top 12-rated returning quarterbacks from 2021 in Herbert (3), Mahomes (5), Derek Carr (11) and Wilson 12.

With free agency days away, the Raiders now face the challenge of building a defense capable of dealing with that caliber of quarterback play. They also need to restock an offense to keep up on the scoreboard.

All of which leaves the Raiders pondering the future of Carr, who is going into the last year of his contract and is seeking an extension that will keep him in Las Vegas for the foreseeable future.

Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels said last week at the NFL Scouting Combine that Carr would “no doubt about it,” be the Raiders’ starting quarterback in 2022. While that isn’t a surprise, the question becomes will it be under a new contract?

General manager Dave Ziegler said last week there are still a lot of “dominoes that have to fall,” relative to Raiders’ team-building before that question can definitively be answered. He didn’t get into specifics, but new contracts for defensive end Maxx Crosby and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, both of whom are going into the last year of their rookie deals, have to fit in that equation somewhere.

But with the AFC West quarterback landscape rich with challenges and now covering the foreseeable future, could the Raiders afford to create quarterback uncertainty for themselves by not locking up Carr with an extension?

Either way, the AFC playoffs just got a lot more treacherous for the Raiders, who are tasked with building a team around Carr in 2022 that can compete with some of the best quarterbacks in the league on a consistent basis.

The leverage for Crosby is likely strengthened with the addition of Wilson, as it puts even more emphasis on the Raiders’ ability to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks. It also means even more focus on improving their defense, which is now tasked with locking down three potentially potent offenses within their division.

In addition, there is still some offensive tinkering to do to ensure they can keep up with what is shaking up as an explosive division.

With Adams essentially off the board — unless the Raiders wanted to give up two first-round picks to reel him in — and Tampa Bay’s Chris Godwin set to receive a franchise tag, the Raiders at wide receiver could turn to the Bears’ Allen Robinson, who reportedly will hit the open market next week after Chicago opted against applying the franchise tag to him. Another possibility is the Jaguars’ D.J. Chark.

The Raiders are also in the market for a right tackle and depth along the offensive line.

As expected, the Raiders did not use the franchise tag on any of their pending free agents ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. In other roster news, the Raiders released defensive back Kavon Frazier.

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