Veteran's refusal of trade could set off chain reaction

	Jake Plummer lost his starting job with the Broncos midway through last season. Robert Beck/SI
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If Jake Plummer follows through on his intention to retire and scuttle the reported trade that would have sent him from the Broncos to Bucs in exchange for a 2007 fourth-round draft pick, the move will have an effect on the quarterbacking landscape in the NFL beyond just Denver and Tampa Bay.

The aborted deal and its fallout could set off a ripple effect that potentially will have a hand in deciding who plays quarterback this season in Houston and Oakland as well. Here are the ramifications if Plummer retires or eventually reports to Tampa:

• The rumored deal of the ex-Broncos starter replacing David Carr in Houston would be dead. The Texans made it known last month that they would entertain trade offers for Carr, the former No. 1 overall draft pick who has struggled for most of his five seasons with the expansion team.

As part of the trade talks involving Carr, the Texans were intent on pursuing Plummer as their first choice as a replacement. Plummer's best three seasons in the NFL came under the tutelage of Gary Kubiak, when the Houston head coach was Denver's offensive coordinator.

With Plummer likely not an option either way, the Texans are, according to a source close to the situation, "highly likely'' to retain Carr and actively dismiss any further speculation about his future in Houston. Unless, of course, this is Plummer's way of forcing a trade to the Texans, perhaps the only team Plummer is willing to play for this year.

"I think they recognize at this point that [Carr] is their best option,'' the source said. "Their thought all along seemed to be that Jake Plummer was a decent stop-gap option for a year or two, given that Kubiak knew him from Denver. But I don't think there was ever the thinking in Houston that they had to move Carr this offseason.''