Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr broke his social media silence on Thursday, two weeks and a day after being benched by the organization. Since his second-round selection by the Raiders in the 2014 NFL draft, Carr has been the team’s starting quarterback.
“This really makes me sad. I couldn’t say goodbye in person. “Carr wrote this despite agreeing to stay away from the side for the last two games so as not to be a distraction. “Our nine years together have been nothing short of an emotional rollercoaster.
I want to express my sincere gratitude for all the help you have given me and my loved ones over the years. It was like standing next to me through every painful setback and every euphoric game-winning drive.
“Leaving is especially difficult because I know I gave you everything all season and off-season. It wasn’t flawless, but hopefully you’ll walk away as proud Raiders fans with some good stories to tell.”
After extending his three-year, $121.5 million deal with the Raiders last spring, Carr indicated he plans to retire in 2021. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a Raider.
For the rest of my life I will only support one team: the Oakland Raiders. The conviction is so deep within me that I know that even the most dire circumstances can be rectified. If the ship goes down, I’d rather go down with it. Carr admitted he was sad to leave the Raiders, but he was excited to join a new NFL team.
“Raider Nation is really special. … I’m looking forward to a new city and a new team that, whatever the circumstances, will get everything I’ve got.”
Derek Carr says goodbye to the Raiders 👀 pic.twitter.com/SjEuh8AUaG
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 12, 2023
‘I really meant that,’ he confessed, ‘but I never expected it to end like this. I still feel an intense need to reach my goal of becoming champion.” The Raiders have the option to release Carr up to three days before the Super Bowl for a $5,625 salary cap, and Carr’s most recent agreement also included a no-trade clause for the quarterback.
The statement released by the Raiders on Thursday may have reduced their bargaining power on a potential deal. With a $40 million signing bonus awaiting him if he stays with the Raiders or accepts a trade before February 15, Carr has nothing to lose by waiting to be released and test the free agency market.
The official start date for trades is March 15. If the Raiders manage to find a trading partner for Carr, they’ll need the quarterback’s approval for the move and assurance that their prospective new team won’t back down. Carr may have a strong market for his talents, but the Raiders may not get that much in return for him.
If a team were to trade for Derek Carr, here’s what it would owe him for his current deal:
2023: $32.9 million base salary + $100,000 training bonus = $33 million limit
2024: $41.9 million base salary + $100,000 training bonus = $42 million limit
2025: $41.2 million base salary + $100,000 training bonus = $41.3 million limit— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 12, 2023
Freshman head coach Josh McDaniels reported meeting with Carr earlier this week. McDaniels commented, “Again, we’ve had a fantastic partnership.” “Anything contrary to that is false; he got a great deal. However, there will be some time to anticipate that.
Carr, who turns 32 on March 28, sat out the Raiders’ final two games with Jarrett Stidham starting in his place. The team lost both games, in OT, to the NFC’s No. 2 seed San Francisco 49ers and the AFC’s No. 1 seed Heads of Kansas City.
Carr threw for 3,522 yards and 24 touchdowns with 14 interceptions in 15 games for the 6-11 Raiders. In addition, his completion percentage fell to 60.8% and his pass score dropped to 86.3%, both career lows. His career high in interceptions is 2.8%.
Carr has the most passing yards (35,222), touchdown passes (217), sacks (264), fourth-quarter comebacks (28), game-winning drives (33), and starts with a quarterback (142) in Raiders history . He also has the third most interceptions (99) in team history.
He played in one postseason game, a 26-19 loss to the Bengal from Cincinnati last season in the wild card phase after an interception just before the goal line. His career record is 63-79.
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