Report: Patriots considered trading for Derek Carr last year

That would have sent the Patriots’ trajectory in a totally different direction.

The Las Vegas Raiders’ Josh McDaniels got a quarterback he’s been interested in coaching for a while. McDaniels and Raiders GM Dave Ziegler are planning to set up quarterback Derek Carr with a hefty contract extension, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

McDaniels and Ziegler are, in part, comfortable with Carr because they’ve had their eyes on him. The New England Patriots considered trading for Carr before the 2021 season, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

“Sources say Carr’s top choice for a new coach was actually the one the team hired (McDaniels),” Rapoport wrote in a recent report on Sunday. “In the past, McDaniels’ and Ziegler’s affection for the three-time Pro Bowler led them to consider trading for him.”

Imagine that.

New England might have traded for Carr, rather than re-signing quarterback Cam Newton for a second season. The Patriots then might not have had a first-round pick to select Mac Jones — or they would have felt more comfortable using the pick to take a different player in the draft. It would have sent New England’s trajectory in a totally different direction.

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