Las Vegas Raiders permit Derek Carr to visit Bucs' Division Rival

One of the top available quarterbacks might be landing in the NFC South.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are moving on after Tom Brady retired to open February. At this point, the Buccaneers only have one quarterback under contract - Kyle Trask, who has yet to prove anything legitimate at the NFL level. 

However, the team was recently deemed the favorite for Las Vegas Raiders veteran signal-caller, Derek Carr, during the week of the Senior Bowl by Yahoo Sports' Senior NFL Reporter, Charles Robinson.

READ MORE: CBS Sports Projects Buccaneers to trade up for Tom Brady's replacement in 2023 NFL Draft

“So, the buzz here at the Senior Bowl, I’m in Mobile, Ala. by the way, the buzz is connecting them [Bucs] with Derek Carr,” Robinson said. “Like, that’s probably the Derek Carr destination. I only believe that if the Bucs are like, ‘Let’s not reboot completely. Let’s not just nuke it right now and start all over again. Let’s see if we can maybe put this back together again.'"

Instead of the Buccaneers, it appears that the NFC South Division rival New Orleans Saints might have the fast track for Carr's services. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Saints are set to host the nine-year pro on Thursday.

"Stop No. 1 is the New Orleans Saints. A significant development in the Derek Carr sweepstakes. Sources tell me that the Las Vegas Raiders have given Carr permission to visit the New Orleans Saints," Rapoport said. "That is going to take place tomorrow [Thursday]. The Saints and old friend Dennis Allen invited Carr to visit and that is expected to happen. It is considered to be due diligence, no trade as of right now is imminent."

"But of course, we've known that Derek Carr does have permission to speak with teams provided they're willing to give the compensation that the Raiders would likely take in the event of the trade," Rapoport continued. "So what does this all mean? No trade is done but the Saints are considered to be serious suitors and of course, Dennis Allen has known Derek Carr forever. Remember, when Dennis Allen was a third-year coach, he started a then-rookie quarterback. That same quarterback is visiting New Orleans tomorrow [Thursday]."

From @NFLTotalAccess: Derek Carr gets permission to visit the #Saints tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/HGZXF9FHaS

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 8, 2023

The trip to New Orleans will be the first visit for Carr this offseason as he explores his options outside of Las Vegas. The Raiders benched the former second-round pick toward the end of the season in favor of Jarrett Stidham. Carr finished the year by completing 305/502 passes (60.8%) for 3,522 yards with 24 touchdowns to 14 interceptions in 15 appearances.

It's important to note that the 31-year-old holds a no-trade in his current contract which has three years and $121.5 remaining. That means he has the right to choose his next destination so Las Vegas is allowing visits to other franchises that are meeting their compensation demands for Carr. 

At the same time, a team like New Orleans is far over the cap and would have to do a lot of maneuvering to take in his deal. According to Over The Cap, the Saints are currently $60,354,996 million in the red so their pursuit of Carr is likely very preliminary.

The clock is ticking as the Raiders have less than a week remaining until they have to guarantee Carr's 2023 salary. If the franchise is unable to find a trade partner, both parties will probably part ways and Carr will held into free agency searching for a contract in the $30 million per year or more range. 

Carr is coming off a down year but he recently participated in his fourth Pro Bowl and was also named to the event in three consecutive years from 2015-17. He's only one year removed from a 2021 season where he threw for a career-high 4,804 yards. He's thrown for at least 20 touchdown passes in seven of his eight seasons at the NFL level and only holds a career interception percentage of 2%.

During his career, he's completed 64.6% of his passes for 35,222 yards with 217 touchdowns to 99 interceptions in 142 starts, all for the Raiders.

Jameis Winston remains under contract in New Orleans after he lost his starting spot to Andy Dalton in 2022. Neither player has proven to be a long-term option for the Saints.

READ MORE: Tom Brady's father has an interesting reaction to his son walking away from football after 23 years

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2023 offseason.

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