It could be time for Derek Carr to get the second big payday of his career. The Las Vegas Raiders quarterback has two years and $50 million left on his current contract. There’s no doubt he’s started to think about his next contract extension.
This puts the Raiders in a somewhat awkward situation. If they extend Carr, they are making a long-term commitment that he’s the quarterback of the future. That’s a difficult decision to make right now as he hasn’t led the team to the playoffs in four seasons. However, he’s played well and certainly hasn’t been the team’s problem.
Quarterbacks as good as a Carr aren’t exactly easy to find. He may not be among the NFL’s elite but he’s a very good player. Taking that all into account, the Raiders will seriously consider making the long-term commitment. In fact, they may have already opened up to the possibility. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Las Vegas has begun to discuss a contract extension for Carr.
This isn’t surprising news as both sides should be thinking about it. With the Raiders not getting involved in trade talks for Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson, it showed that they have a lot of confidence in their quarterback.
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Carr Recently Discussed Possible Extension
Carr has been open about the fact that he wants to retire a Raider. He has no desire to play anywhere else and could quit football if it doesn’t work out in Las Vegas. He recently had a chance to address a looming contract extension.
“That’s something that I know coach [Jon] Gruden and my agent and Mr. Mayock, they’ve had those discussions. … If they can get something done, and they can bring it to me, awesome,” Carr told Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “That would be awesome. But it’s such a non-issue and such a non-topic for me because my mind is fixed on winning a championship, and that’s it.”
Carr still has two years before he can hit free agency. The fact that he’s made it clear that he doesn’t want to go elsewhere gives the Raiders a ton of leverage.
A Deal May Not Happen Yet
With Carr giving the Raiders all the leverage in negotiations, a new contract could take a while to work out. The team doesn’t have much of an incentive to cut a deal quite yet. Carr isn’t going to leave the team so even if he hits free agency, he’ll more than likely return to the Raiders if they want him.
It could also affect how much he makes, which could be good for the team. Carr’s new contract won’t make him the highest-paid quarterback in the league again as it did after his 2016 campaign. He was coming off a 12-4 season that saw him finish third in MVP voting. While he has played well, he hasn’t gotten the Raiders back into the playoffs. It’s hard to imagine he makes much more than the $25 million a year he’s making right now.
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