There has been a lot of chatter in recent weeks about the future of Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. After being benched the final two weeks of the regular season, it gave the impression that he would be on the move in the coming off-season. His heartfelt message to the fans sealed that fate.
Now, it is just a matter of when not if Derek Carr will join a new team. The ball is still in the Raiders’ court, who are going to be pressed for time when it comes to finding a deal to make.
February 15th is essentially the deadline for the Raiders to trade Derek Carr as that is the date his money becomes guaranteed. A $32.9 million base salary in 2023 and $7.5 million in 2024 will all be guaranteed if he isn’t traded or cut by that date.
Alas, there is one hurdle for the Raiders to have to overcome. Derek Carr has full veto power over any deal, effectively giving him the final decision on where he ends up playing. That is going to make things difficult for Las Vegas, as other franchises likely won’t present their strongest offers knowing the opportunity exists for them to just sign Derek Carr without having to surrender assets.
Given those circumstances, it would make sense if Derek Carr and his representation were permitted to seek a trade. However, that has not yet occurred according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic. No list of preferred teams has been provided to the Raiders yet either because of how many dominoes are left to fall when it comes to filling coaching vacancies.
Tafur believes some of the hesitations in giving Derek Carr permission to seek a trade is that his agent, Tim Younger, would work more on restructuring his client’s contract than facilitating a trade. Given how early in the offseason those negotiations could occur, Derek Carr would still be ahead of the game and have his pick of franchises.
Ultimately, working together is the way to go if the Raiders want to get any compensation out of this deal. Allowing Derek Carr to talk to teams and coaches to see where he would be most comfortable would give the Raiders at least a chance to make a trade and get some compensation in return.
