Las Vegas Raiders Quarterback Derek Carr Bids Farewell
HENDERSON, Nev. -- Two weeks and a day after being benched by the Las Vegas Raiders, quarterback Derek Carr broke his silence and bade farewell to the team's fans in a statement on social media Thursday.
Carr had been the Raiders' starting quarterback since being selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft.
Carr, who signed a five-year, $125 million contract extension with the Raiders in 2017 and then a three-year, $121.5 million extension last spring, said in 2021 he would "probably quit football if I had to play for somebody else. I am a Raider for my entire life. I'm going to root for one team for the rest of my life -- it's the Raiders. So I just feel that so strong in my heart I don't need a perfect situation ... to make things right.
Thursday's statement could be seen as taking away the Raiders' leverage in a trade. Carr, whose contract guarantees him $40 million if he is still with Las Vegas or agrees to a trade before Feb. 15, could simply wait for the Raiders to release him and hit the open market, with Las Vegas getting nothing in return.
Trades cannot become official until March 15. So if the Raiders do find a trade partner for Carr, not only would the quarterback have to agree to the destination, the Raiders would also have to trust that the other team would not back out. So while Carr might find a robust market for his services, his trade value to the Raiders might not be as high as it once was.
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