There is a deadline approaching in the Derek Carr sweepstakes, and there has been a snag in the Raiders finding a trade partner for their quarterback. The Raiders have not given Carr’s agent permission to talk to other teams, league and team sources familiar with the matter confirmed to The Athletic on Monday. Sports Illustrated first reported the news. Here’s what you need to know:
- The Raiders have to trade Carr or cut him before Feb. 15, when the $32.9 million base salary for next year and $7.5 million for 2024 money become fully guaranteed.
- Carr has veto power over any trade.
- Carr, 31, was benched for the final two games of the 2022 regular season. The Raiders started Jarrett Stidham at quarterback instead. Carr left the team after the benching so as not to be a distraction.
- He sent a goodbye message to fans of the organization via social media in January, signaling an end to his nine-year career with the team.
Why haven’t the Raiders given Carr permission?
The Raiders might be concerned that Tim Younger, Carr’s agent, would be working out a free-agent deal with the new team rather than helping with trade terms. But Younger can do that on Feb. 16, well ahead of the other quarterbacks in the league hitting the free-agent market. Younger would need to talk to the new team about Carr’s contract — either restructuring the current one or carving out a new one — either way.
Younger declined comment for this story. General manager Dave Ziegler, on his way to Mobile, Ala., for the Senior Bowl, was not available for comment.
Younger has not given the Raiders a list of teams that he would be open to a trade to, the sources said, for the simple reason that it’s wide open. Several teams have still not hired a coach or offensive coordinator.
What options are left?
It would seem that the Raiders and Carr should work together to find a trade partner. Carr would have first dibs on his new team — who could rework his contract and avoid him hitting the free market in March — while the Raiders could get a draft pick back in return, or a veteran player that they want.
And while The Athletic has reported that Carr has no plans to extend the Feb. 15 salary guarantee deadline, there is another possibility that the Raiders should consider: Carr would want time to talk to his potential new head coach and coordinator before a deal is consummated, so could decide to set his own earlier deadline of Feb. 8 and cut off trade talks if nothing is worked out by then.
Carr does seem to be holding all the cards, and maybe the Raiders have already decided to move on and lose the nine-year starter for nothing rather than cede any control of the process.
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(Picture: Chris Unger/Getty Images)