Derek Carr definitely done with Raiders, plus NFL picks neutral site for potential Bills-Chiefs AFC title game

Welcome to the Thursday edition of the Pick Six newsletter! 

We’re going to start off things today by pouring one out for Derek Carr. After nine seasons with the Raiders, Carr is moving on. The QB took to social media on Thursday to say goodbye to Raiders fans and I have to say, after reading his note, I think he should rethink how he’s saying goodbye. If this had been me, I would have burned every bridge on my way out. I would have waited until tomorrow to make the announcement (Friday the 13th) and I would have made a cut-up of a bunch of horror movies that would have ended with me cursing the Raiders to 13 years of bad luck. Actually, now that I’m reading that out loud, it’s probably for the best that Carr didn’t go this route. 

Anyway, we’ll be looking at what’s next for Carr in today’s newsletter, plus we’ll be ranking every coaching staff in the playoffs and ranking the most watchable games in the wild-card round. 

As always, here’s your weekly reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the Pick Six newsletter. To get your friends to sign up, all you have to do is click here and then share this link with them. 

1. Today’s show: Brady Quinn breaks down the latest NFL news

If you’re going to listen to just one episode of the Pick Six podcast every week, then you should definitely make sure that you’re listening every Thursday, because that’s when Brady Quinn joins the show. For today’s episode, the former first-round pick chatted with Will Brinson about multiple topics, including the fact that there’s going to be a lot of pressure on both Dak Prescott and Mike McCarthy in the wild-card round. 

“This [game] is monumental in my mind for the Cowboys, not only in regards to Mike McCarthy and what that looks like — due to the Sean Payton stuff — but also, I think for Dak and how he’s viewed as a potential starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys,” Quinn said. “There’s a lot up in the air.”

According to Quinn, the person who should be feeling the most pressure is Prescott, who has never won a road playoff game. 

“To me, this game comes down to Dak Prescott,” Quinn said. “When you look at this, it’s such a huge game, I think, for Dak Prescott’s career.”

Prescott is coming off a regular season where he finished tied for the NFL lead in interceptions, which is definitely notable, because it makes him the FIRST QB IN NFL HISTORY to miss at least five games and STILL lead the league interceptions. 

Although there’s plenty of pressure on Prescott, he’s not going to lose his job if the Cowboys don’t win. However, that might be the case for McCarthy. Quinn doesn’t necessarily think that Jerry Jones will dump McCarthy if the Cowboys lose, but he’s also not ruling it out. 

“I think it matters how they lose,” Quinn said of a situation where he could see McCarthy getting fired. “If they lose how they did last  year, if you lose like that again, where there’s a huge coaching blunder or a situational miss, then yeah, you’re probably looking at saying ‘This could be it.'” 

Last season, the Cowboys lost 23-17 to the 49ers in the wild-card round. The Cowboys called a QB draw with just 14 seconds left to play and no timeouts and although the draw gained 17 yards, the clock ran out before the Cowboys could get off another play. 

If you want to hear Quinn’s full thoughts on the Cowboys — and everything else the two guys talked about on today’s podcast — then be sure to click here. You can also watch today’s show on YouTube by clicking here. Brinson and Quinn also talked about the Jets’ QB situation and why the Dolphins are making the right decision by keeping Tua Tagovailoa on the bench this week. 

2. Derek Carr definitely done with the Raiders

After the Raiders made the decision to bench Derek Carr heading into Week 17, it became pretty clear that he was never going to play another down for the team, and the QB basically confirmed that on Thursday with a lengthy note on social media. 

• Carr says goodbye to Raiders fans. “Raider nation, it breaks my heart I didn’t get an opportunity to say goodbye in person. We certainly have been on a roller coaster in our nine years together. … It’s especially hard to say goodbye because I can honestly say that I gave you everything I had, every single day, in season, and in the offseason.” You can read Carr’s entire message by clicking here. 
• Carr won’t be retiring. Back in 2021, Carr said he would rather “quit football” than play for another team, but apparently, he no longer feels that way. In his social media message, Carr made it clear that he has no plans to retire. “I once said if I’m not a Raider, I would rather be at home and I meant that, but I never envisioned it ending this way. That fire burning inside of me to win a championship still rages.” 

With Carr confirming that he still wants to play, that begs the question: What’s next for the Raiders QB? Whatever it is, it’s going to have to happen soon and here’s why: 

• Raiders need to figure something out by Feb. 15. Due to the way Carr’s contract is structured, he’ll earn $40.4 million in guaranteed money if he’s still on the Raiders’ roster on Feb. 15 (His 2023 salary of $32.9 million and $7.5M of his 2024 salary will become guaranteed on that day). That means the Raiders essentially have one month to figure out a way to trade Carr. If that doesn’t happen, they’d likely be forced to cut him. 
• Why it could be difficult to trade Carr. The quarterback’s contract includes a no-trade clause, which means a deal will only happen if Carr approves of the team he’s being traded to. Also, other teams won’t have a huge incentive to give the Raiders a big offer knowing that Las Vegas will likely cut him if it can’t get a trade done before Feb. 15. 
• Why a trade might happen. One reason we might see Carr get traded is because he has a very team-friendly contract. If a team acquires him and doesn’t restructure his deal, his cap hits for the next three seasons would be $33 million (2023), $42 million (2024) and $41.3 million (2025), according to ESPN.com. Those are very affordable numbers for a starting quarterback and you’re only locked into him for one season. If he struggles, you could cut him after 2023 and take just a $7.5 million cap hit.
• Potential landing spots. Although Carr is being dumped by the Raiders, he’s almost certainly going to land on his feet and that’s because there are so many QB-needy teams out there. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Titans, Commanders, Colts or Jets make a play for Carr. Also, every team in the NFC South could be in the market for a QB in 2023 with the Panthers possibly being the most intriguing option there. 

For more on the Carr situation, be sure to click here. 

3. Ranking the playoff coaching staffs: Chiefs take the top spot

When two teams are evenly matched on the field, the difference in a game can be who has the better coaching on the sideline. With that in mind, CBSSports.com’s Jared Dubin decided to rank the coaching staffs of every playoff team. 

Although Dubin ranked all 14 teams, we’re going to cover his top five here: 

1. Chiefs: HC Andy Reid, OC Eric Bieniemy, DC Steve Spagnuolo. “Reid is the best offensive coach of his generation, and he has now had the same two veteran coordinators for several years.”

2. Bills: HC Sean McDermott, OC Ken Dorsey, DC Leslie Frazier. “Buffalo lost Brian Daboll to New York but slid Ken Dorsey in as his replacement, and the ship has mostly kept right on running the same course.”

3. 49ers: HC Kyle Shanahan, OC Anthony Lynn, DC DeMeco Ryans. “Shanahan is perhaps the league’s premier schemer at the moment, able to put his offensive players — and especially his quarterback — in position to succeed like few others in the history of the sport.”

4. Eagles: HC Nick Sirianni, OC Shane Steichen, DC Jonathan Gannon. “These guys know how to craft a scheme to fit their personnel, and know how to weaponize the skills of elite players — especially on the offensive side of the ball. The only thing holding us back from ranking them higher is Gannon’s insistence on playing His Way at all times, even if he doesn’t have the right bodies to play the run up front the way he wants to. Sometimes, that can come back to bite the Eagles.”

5. Bengals: HC Zac Taylor, OC Brian Callahan, DC Lou Anarumo. “Anarumo has been forced to use a bunch of new, young players in the secondary and, at times, up front due to injuries, and the Bengals remain very tough to move the ball against. Callahan and Taylor can still at times become a bit too conservative and run-focused, but their willingness to lean into Joe Burrow’s strengths over the course of this season took the team as a whole to another level.”

If you want to see Dubin’s entire rankings, be sure to click here.  

4. Wild-card viewing guide: Ranking the six playoff games from most watchable to least watchable

If you don’t have time to watch every wild-card game this weekend and you’re trying to figure out which ones you should watch, don’t worry, because we now have you covered in that department. Tyler Sullivan ranked all six games based on their watchabilty, and based on what Sully has to say, Cowboys at Buccaneers is the one wild-card game you don’t want to miss, so make sure to clear your schedule for Monday night. 

Here are his full watchability rankings for the wild-card round: 

1. (5) Cowboys at (4) Buccaneers, 8:15 p.m. ET, Monday (ABC/ESPN): “You have America’s Team squaring off against the greatest NFL quarterback of all time. Need I say more?”

2. (5) Chargers at (4) Jaguars, 8:15 p.m. ET, Saturday (NBC): “Let’s be honest: Quarterbacks get eyeballs. It’s the most important position in the sport and why a chunk of the population tunes in. With that in mind, this matchup between the Chargers and Jaguars features two of the brightest young quarterbacks that the NFL has to offer in Justin Herbert and Trevor Lawrence.”

3. (6) Giants at (3) Vikings, 4:30 p.m. ET, Sunday (Fox): “This may be a little too high, but I do love the narratives surrounding this game. The last time these two teams played came back in Week 16 and Minnesota was able to squeak out a win thanks to a 61-yard field goal by Greg Joseph after trailing 13-10 entering the fourth quarter. If we get another nail-biter that goes deep into the fourth quarter, that’ll be quite the bridge between the NFL’s first and final game on Sunday.”

4. (7) Dolphins at (2) Bills, 1 p.m. ET, Sunday (CBS): “This game would rival to claim the top spot if these teams were both at full strength. Similar to Ravens-Bengals, however, the quarterback situation for Miami is a bit uncertain. With Tua Tagovailoa out (concussion) and Teddy Bridgewater likely out (finger), Skylar Thompson would be in line to start. The rookie started last week against the Jets and the offense managed just three field goals. That’s not going to cut it against Buffalo.”

5. (6) Ravens at (3) Bengals, 8:15 p.m. ET, Sunday (NBC): “The only reason that this game isn’t at the bottom of the barrel in these rankings is the possibility that Lamar Jackson plays on Sunday. The quarterback has been sidelined since suffering a knee injury in Week 13, but reports are that he is pushing to play. If we get Lamar Jackson vs. Joe Burrow, that’s worth the price of admission. If it’s Tyler Huntley or Anthony Brown (who started last week), you might be able to put the snooze button on this AFC North head-to-head.” 

6. (7) Seahawks at (2) 49ers, 4:30 p.m. ET, Sunday (Fox): “Based on the point spread and total, the oddsmakers think this will be a low-scoring affair that isn’t particularly close, which isn’t exactly a recipe for an instant classic. From a scheduling standpoint, the NFL may agree with the oddsmakers in that assessment, as this time slot is typically given to the game with the least amount of juice.”

If you want to check out Tyler’s entire rankings, be sure to click here. 

5. NFLPA names its first-ever All-Pro team

For the past eight decades the Associated Press has been voting for the NFL’s All-Pro team, but apparently, players were tired of being judged by media members, because the NFLPA is now also releasing its own All-Pro team.

The NFLPA version, which was released Wednesday, won’t replace the AP version as the official All-Pro team used by the NFL, but since the NFLPA version involves players voting for other players, it’s very fascinating to see who made the cut. 

With that in mind, here’s the NFLPA’s All-Pro team for 2022: 

OFFENSE
QB: Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)
RB: Josh Jacobs (Raiders)
FB: Kyle Juszczyk (49ers)
WR: Justin Jefferson (Vikings)
WR: Davante Adams (Raiders)
TE: Travis Kelce (Chiefs)
LT: Trent Williams (49ers)
LG: Joel Bitonio (Browns)
C: Jason Kelce (Eagles)
RG: Zack Martin (Cowboys)
RT: Lane Johnson (Eagles)

DEFENSE
EDGE: Nick Bosa (49ers), Myles Garrett (Browns)
IDL: Chris Jones (Chiefs), Aaron Donald (Rams)
NT: Dexter Lawrence (Giants) 
Off-Ball LB: Fred Warner (49ers), Roquan Smith (Ravens)
CB: Patrick Surtain II (Broncos), Darius Slay (Eagles)
FS: Minkah Fitzpatrick (Steelers
SS: Derwin James Jr. (Chargers)

SPECIAL TEAMS
KR: Cordarrelle Patterson (Falcons)
PR: KaVontae Turpin (Cowboys)
Core Teamer: Jeremy Reaves (Commanders), Justin Hardee (Jets)
K: Jason Myers (Seahawks)
P: Tommy Townsend (Chiefs)
LS: Morgan Cox (Titans) 

Overall, the 49ers and Chiefs each had four players land on the NFLPA’s inaugural All-Pro team, which led the NFL. The most eyebrow-raising member of the team is probably Cordarrelle Patterson, who got voted in as kick returner even though he only had NINE kickoff returns on the entire season. Personally, I would have voted for Keisean Nixon (Packers) or maybe even Nyheim Hines (Bills). The NFLPA will probably need to modify its voting procedures going forward to make sure something like that doesn’t happen in the future. 

For more details on the list, be sure to click here. 

6. Rapid-fire roundup: Damar Hamlin discharged from hospital; NFL picks neutral site for AFC title game 

It’s been a busy 24 hours in the NFL, and since it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you..  

• Damar Hamlin discharged from hospital. The news that everyone was waiting for is finally here: Damar Hamlin has been discharged from the hospital. The Bills safety was released from a Cincinnati hospital on Monday, but that was only so he could be transferred to a hospital in Buffalo. After two days in that facility, the medical team at Buffalo General announced that Hamlin could be “safely discharged” and that he’s healthy enough to “to continue his rehabilitation at home and with the Bills.” 
• NFL picks Atlanta to host possible neutral-site AFC title game. If the Bills and Chiefs both make it to the AFC Championship this year, then the game will be played at a neutral site and that site was officially revealed on Thursday. The NFL announced that Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta will host the game on Jan. 29 at 6:30 p.m. ET if Buffalo and Kansas City both make the AFC title game. 
• Tua ruled out, Bridgewater still dealing with injury. It’s looking more and more like Skylar Thompson will be the Dolphins’ starting QB against the Bills on Sunday. With Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) officially ruled out, the next man up is Teddy Bridgewater, but he’s dealing with a dislocated finger on this throwing hand. Thompson took all the first-team reps on Wednesday and if Bridgewater doesn’t feel better soon, then the rookie will be starting in Buffalo. Due to the uncertainty at quarterback, the Dolphins are now a 13-point underdog for Sunday’s game, and if that holds, it would make Miami the biggest underdog in the history of the wild-card round. 
• Lamar Jackson doesn’t practice. The Ravens QB hasn’t practiced since the beginning of December and he once again missed practice on Wednesday. Jackson, who’s dealing with a PCL injury, hasn’t played since injuring his knee against the Broncos on Dec. 4. Considering how much time he’s missed and the fact that he missed the Ravens’ first practice of the week, the odds definitely seem stacked against him playing on Sunday against the Bengals.  
• Cardinals might look to trade DeAndre Hopkins. The Cardinals will be making a lot of changes this offseason and one of those changes could be getting rid of Hopkins. According to TheScore, the team is going to look to trade its star receiver this offseason. With that in mind, we came up with some landing spots and you can check those out by clicking here (Spoiler alert: The Ravens are the top of the list). 
• Jets part ways with offensive coordinator. The Jets and Mike LaFleur made the mutual decision to part ways on Wednesday. LaFleur is leaving New York after a disastrous year where the Jets offense ranked 29th in points scored and 26th in total yards. Of course, you can’t completely blame LaFleur for the offensive struggles. He was stuck in an unenviable situation that saw him calling plays for three very average starting quarterbacks in 2022 (Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco and Mike White). 
• Bears hire a new president. With Bears president Ted Phillips announcing in September that he was going to retire in February, the team has been searching for someone to replace him and they’ve now found their guy. The team has tabbed Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren to take over the job, CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones has reported. 
• Texans and Cardinals both want to interview Sean Payton. The former Saints coach isn’t allowed to interview with any teams until Jan. 17, but once that date hits, he’s going to be a hot commodity. Not only are the Broncos planning to interview him, but the Cardinals and Saints have both requested — and been granted permission — to interview Payton. The most interesting interview could come with the Cardinals and that’s because Payton has already done some homework on Kyler Murray. 

In other coaching news, former Stanford coach David Shaw reportedly interviewed with the Broncos on Wednesday. We’re not going to list every coaching interview here, because it would triple the length of the newsletter, but if you want the latest updates on every coaching and GM interview being held this offseason, then be sure to click here so you can follow along in our tracker.