Derek Carr has likely played his very last snap with the Las Vegas Raiders. Not only did we get to hear Carr joke about how he is likely heading somewhere else during the Pro Bowl Skills Competition, but the general manager has also linked him to other teams. This isn’t entirely surprising given that the Raiders haven’t really been committed to Carr fully the last few years.
After nine years, Carr got randomly and unceremoniously benched for the team’s final two games of this past regular season. Much to the dismay of other starters on the offense, including star wideout Davante Adams. Nevertheless, the trade rumors immediately started to heat up following the benching.
Just recently, the general manager Dave Ziegler mentioned that a trade might form itself. He said, “I think here this week at the Senior Bowl, obviously everybody’s here. This is a good time to have conversations. There’s going to be people interested in Derek Carr. There’s no doubt about that. He’s been a good football player in this league for quite some time. Like I said, he’s a phenomenal human being, and we’ll kind of see where it goes.”
Derek Carr Has A Say
While there’s an expectation that Carr will be traded, he does have a say in where it is he will be going. Carr mentioned that he has a no-trade clause during a recent interview, and the fact that he’s got a specific date where his money is guaranteed. The bottom line from that interview is that he’s going to remain patient throughout this entire process and try to figure out what options are in front of him. Derek signed a three-year, $120.5 million extension last year. If he can get traded or released, the Raiders have set themselves up nicely to move on from him even with the extension.
Later on in the evening, Carr was talking about what he might be looking for in a new roster. He said, “Just a team that’s all in on winning the Super Bowl. I think that, to me, I just want to win. I’ve thrown for the numbers. Been to the Pro Bowls. For me, I’m just looking for a team that has the pieces, and if I was to add to anything that I could add, hopefully we could be one of those teams to try and go do that.” Some teams that have popped up in the conversation were the New York Jets, Washington Commanders, Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, and the New Orleans Saints.
It’s hard to imagine that Carr will be simply released from the franchise. Especially given his no-trade clause and the fact that he’s been a classy veteran for all of his years with the Raiders. Las Vegas is likely to want to send him to the place he wants to go to. And there’s not going to be a shortage of teams that will call for his services.