There will be a market for quarterback Derek Carr. The Las Vegas Raiders have made it clear they’re moving on from Carr and have made him available for trade. However, a looming deadline in his contract may force the Raiders to release Carr.
Carr’s $41.9 million salary for the 2023 season becomes fully guaranteed on Feb. 15, three days after the Super Bowl. That date also secures $7.5 million of his $41.2 million salary for 2024. Presumably, that trigger will also complicate any potential trade for Carr.
Carr told ESPN’s Stephen Holder he has no intention of extending the guarantee deadline.
At the Pro Bowl in Las Vegas, Carr told NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe it was time to move on.
“It comes a time when it’s time to move on, and that’s this time,” Carr said. “I have a no-trade clause, and there’s a certain date money is guaranteed, or I’ll be a free agent… There have been convos between Dave (Ziegler), my agent, and me.”
The Raiders aren’t getting stuck on the hook with nearly $42 million for a player going out the door. It would take a desperate team to pick up Carr’s current contract, especially the whole brunt of his salary. That almost guarantees Carr will get released by Valentine’s Day.
If so, he’ll be sought by many teams on the free agent market, including the Washington Commanders. Yes, the Commanders have told candidates for its offensive coordinator vacancy to prepare for Sam Howell being the starting quarterback in 2023. Yet, it’s hard to imagine Commanders head coach Ron Rivera entering his fourth season on a hot seat with an unproven quarterback like Howell.
Washington was the desperate team last year, trading for Carson Wentz when the Colts set out to release him. The Wentz experiment in Washington last season went as well as the Colts’ version in 2021 or the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020.
That alone would make the Commanders hesitant to get Carr. But, with no offensive coordinator named and the recent woes of the franchise, could Washington compete with other teams in free agency for Carr?
The New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, and Commanders are considered as teams that could pursue Derek Carr, especially in free agency. The list of suitors presumably would rather wait for his release than trading for him.
