After the Las Vegas Raiders’ regular season was over, it seemed likely that Derek Carr would leave the team.
Carr had told his Raiders teammates goodbye and given them a gift. Colin Cowherd and other big names in the media had begun to guess where Carr would play in 2023.
But Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated broke the news on Monday that changed everything. Breer says that the team hasn’t yet told Carr he can ask for a trade.
Breer wrote about the fight between Carr and the Raiders in his column that came out today.
“From what I know right now, the Raiders haven’t given Carr’s camp permission to look for a trade,” Breer said.
After explaining that teams would have to pay Carr’s full salary if they got him before February 15, Breer said, “There is a thought that teams that want him should just wait until Las Vegas cuts him.”
So, this change seems to come down to money, in the end. After the terrible 2022 season, it makes perfect sense for Las Vegas and Carr to go their separate ways. But if teams can get Carr for less money as their starting QB for next season, they will.
Breer made a good point when he said that other quarterbacks in the league might be cheaper than Carr’s salary of $32.9 million next season. He gave as examples Jimmy Garoppolo, Geno Smith, Baker Mayfield, and Daniel Jones.
If this is true, teams can’t be faulted for waiting until Carr is a free agent before signing him.
