Dec 8, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) passes against the Kansas City Chiefs during a NFL football game at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
After the Oakland Raiders made Derek Carr the highest-paid players in NFL history, let's take a look at which young NFL quarterbacks could be next in line to receiver a heftier contract.
The future is bright for quarterback Derek Carr when looking at the progress he's made since coming to the NFL in 2014, and the Oakland Raiders wanted to make sure their beloved quarterback was happy with his current situation by making history. On Thursday, the Raiders agreed to a hefty five-year, $125 million extension with Carr, making him the highest paid player in NFL history.
For a former second-round pick who has only been in the league for three seasons, this is beyond impressive for someone like Carr, as Oakland found themselves in a position where they wanted to make sure their quarterback would be around for the long run. Carr was one of the main reasons why the Raiders were finally able to put an end to their disastrous playoff drought last season thanks to displaying MVP-type numbers, but unfortunately a broken leg prevented him from suiting up in the postseason.
While it's easy to make the case that Carr deserves every penny of this new deal, other teams can thanks the Raiders for setting the bar high for the next round of young quarterbacks expected to receive hefty raises in the next couple of years. Thanks to Carr's deal, let's take a look at five young quarterbacks who may be in line to top the Oakland quarterback's hefty contract when the time comes down the road.
Los Angeles Rams
Dec 11, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) calls a play at the line of scrimmage during the Rams' 42-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
5. Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams
At the moment, Jared Goff has a long way to go when it comes to proving to the Los Angeles Rams that he deserves a long-term deal when considering he enters the 2017 season still in search of his first career win as a starter. To say the Rams' offense was horrendous during Goff's rookie year would be a major understatement after the unit ranked at the bottom of the league by only averaging 14 points per game.
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The good news for Goff is Los Angeles took a huge risk this offseason by making Sean McVay the youngest head coach in NFL history, and based off the last few months of work, it seems like the quarterback is quickly picking up his new offense. Then again, anything would seem like a major upgrade on offense with Jeff Fisher as head coach, right?
After surrendering a first-round pick in this year's NFL Draft to land Goff at No. 1 last offseason, the Rams realized the only way to see the quarterback's true potential running an offense would be to improve his supporting cast. Los Angeles had one of the league's weakest receiving corps in 2016, but with Tavon Austin hopefully taking on a larger role along with the additions of Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp, Goff should look a lot more comfortable running the offense this time around.
Philadelphia Eagles
Dec 4, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 32-14. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
4. Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles
Just like the Los Angeles Rams, the Philadelphia Eagles decided to take a gamble last year by sacrificing a future first-round pick to move in the NFL Draft to land Carson Wentz at No. 2. Originally, the plan was to have Wentz learn from the sidelines as a rookie, but thanks to an unexpected trade that sent Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings, the Eagles ended up starting their rookie all 16 games.
There's no question Wentz showed plenty of potential as a rookie, and that early experience will certainly payoff in the long run, but Philadelphia knew they were holding him back from reaching his true potential with a lack of support on offense, similar to Jared Goff with Los Angeles. And just like the Rams, the Eagles entered the offseason with one of their top priorities being to build a better offense around their quarterback to make life much easier during his sophomore campaign.
From signing a reliable deep threat in Torrey Smith to winning the Alshon Jeffery sweepstakes, Philadelphia all of a sudden finds themselves in position to be serious contenders in the NFC East with the rest of their rivals. And if they do in fact make a run at the postseason, chances are a strong season by Wentz will be one of the main reasons why it happens.
Nov 27, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (3) stiff arms Seattle Seahawks cornerback DeShawn Shead (35) during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
3. Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
There were concerns surrounding Jameis Winston making the adjustment to the NFL when seeing all of the maturity issues he dealt with during his time at Florida State, but based off his first two seasons, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers clearly have something special in their quarterback. Seeing Winston break the 4,000-yard passing mark in each of his first two seasons was completely unexpected, and thanks to a successful offseason, he should post similar numbers, if not better, during his third NFL season.
Winston was already fortunate enough to have a reliable receiver in Mike Evans to work with as his No. 1 option on offense, but give Tampa Bay credit for using the offseason to land more elite weapons for Winston to work with. Not only did the Buccaneers land one of the most dangerous deep threats this year's free agency class had to offer in DeSean Jackson, but the team used their first-round pick on former Alabama standout tight end O.J. Howard.
All three of these players will play key roles in helping Tampa Bay improve from last year's 9-7 finish, and if that does happen, this is going to be one tough team to beat in the NFC. Winston has never been shy about his passion for winning, and if all goes according to plan, 2017 could mark his first career trip to the postseason with the Buccaneers.
Dec 11, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) carries the ball during the first half against the Denver Broncos at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
2. Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans
While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are one of the teams expected to make the leap to serious contenders in the NFC, it's the Tennessee Titans in the AFC that football fans can't wait to see, as Marcus Mariota enters his third season with the team. Similar to Derek Carr, Mariota's season was cut short last year after suffering a broken leg, and what was even more crushing is the Titans lost the tiebreaker to the Houston Texans for the AFC South title.
As crushing as this was to experience at the time, Tennessee's success was a major surprise from the 2016 season, and the unexpected success should play a major role in helping the team take the next step to become serious contenders. The Titans were one of the few teams who made drastic improvements on both sides of the football this offseason, but more importantly, they did a phenomenal job with numerous key additions for Mariota to use in the passing game.
Between drafting rookies Corey Davis and Taywan Taylor along with the recent signing of Eric Decker, stacked doesn't even begin to describe the new look surrounding Tennessee's offense. For a player who has already shown signs of improving each year, Mariota could be in for his best season yet with the Titans.
Dec 26, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) in action during the game against the Detroit Lions at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
1. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
The 2016 season was filled with numerous surprises in the NFL, but it's difficult to top the surprise impact the Dallas Cowboys received from Dak Prescott as a rookie. Never in a million years could anyone have predicted that Prescott would go on to eventually replace Tony Romo as the starter under center for the Cowboys, but it did in fact happen.
Between looking like a veteran running the offense to leading Dallas to the best record during the regular season at 13-3, what Prescott accomplished in his first NFL season was nothing short of amazing, and one can only imagine what's in store from here on out. Even with all of the changes made to the offensive line of the Cowboys, Prescott should have no issues making the adjustment heading into his sophomore season, and should benefit once again from the talent surrounding his teammates.
As if having some of the best hands in the NFL to work with in Dez Bryant wasn't good enough for Prescott, the young quarterback is also fortunate enough to be paired up with Ezekiel Elliott as a reliable option in the backfield. It's still way too early on, but Prescott already seems to be taking a similar approach as Russell Wilson with the Seattle Seahawks when it comes to helping the Cowboys be strong contenders in the NFC for years to come.
