Raiders rumors: Derek Carr not thrilled with contract talks
By John Buhler
Derek Carr is in the final year of his contract with the Oakland Raiders. However, the talks about him getting a new contract have not progressed at all.
After his first three seasons in the NFL, Derek Carr has emerged as the franchise quarterback of the Oakland Raiders. He has improved every year under center since being taken by the Raiders in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Fresno State.
That being said, talks of him getting a new contract have come to a standstill. According to NFL.com’s Michael Silver, “there has been no significant communication between [Carr’s] agent [Tim Younger] and the Oakland Raiders within the last several weeks.”
Because Carr was drafted in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, he is playing in the final year of his rookie deal for under $1 million. Had he been a first-round pick of the Raiders, Carr would have been eligible for the fifth-year option along with Oakland outside linebacker Khalil Mack.
However, Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie crushed the 2014 NFL Draft. He went with Mack No. 5 overall out of Buffalo, Carr in the second round out of Fresno State and guard Gabe Jackson in the third round out of Mississippi State. All three have been outstanding players for the Raiders these last three years.
Silver writes that “the Raiders are also working on an extension for guard Gabe Jackson, and might want to get that done before turning to Carr’s contract.” If McKenzie believes that he can ink a new deal with Jackson up front quickly, then making his deal come first makes sense. Spending too much time on negotiating a deal with Carr could theoretically allow Jackson to enter the regular season without a new deal in place.
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While there is no conceivable way that the Raiders let Carr walk in any capacity, they will have to pay him and pay him handsomely at that. The Raiders have themselves a quarterback that can lead them to and win multiple Super Bowls before exciting his prime. Getting a new deal in place for Carr is paramount, but apparently not the Raiders’ top priority in the middle of May 2017.