When the Oakland Raidersturned their offense over to Derek Carr late last month, it was natural to wonder if Matt Schaub might be confronting the end of a distinguished 11-year NFL career.
After taking a decade's worth of bruising hits, Schaub feels his current bout with elbow tendinitis isn't going to drive him away from the game.
"Definitely not," Schaub said this week, via the Houston Chronicle. "I've got plenty of football left in me, plenty left to give."
It's not unusual for a quarterback's arm strength to resurface down the road after battling through soreness or tightness. The concern with Schaub is that he began losing confidence in his arm late in the 2012 season, and his velocity has steadily declined to the point where he couldn't convincingly throwbeyond 10-15 yards in the preseason.
Now that Carr is entrenched as the face of the offense, Schaub's Oakland future is up in the air. His three-year contract was essentially a one-year commitment, as next year's $5.5 million salary has no guarantees.
Turning 34 next offseason, Schaub's starting days are likely over. NFL history is littered with established quarterbacks of similar talent level who never overcame injuries and benchings in their early-to-mid 30s.
Perhaps Schaub can land softly in Baltimore, reuniting with Gary Kubiak as Joe Flacco's backup in 2015.
The latest "Around The NFL Podcast" recaps the Steelers-Ravens game and previews the other 15 games in Week 2.
