Getty Las Vegas Raiders QB Derek Carr.
The Las Vegas Raiders are going to have a big decision to make soon. Quarterback Derek Carr has played well for the team but has yet to get them to the playoffs since Jon Gruden took the team over. Carr only has two more seasons left on his contract so the team will need to either commit to him soon or move on.
There’s been some chatter of him getting an extension soon but nothing has materialized. The Raiders will most likely wait to see how this season plays out. If he has a strong year and leads the team to the playoffs, he’ll almost certainly get paid. If not, things will get tricky.
In an interview with Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Carr opened up about his expiring contract.
“That’s something that I know coach Gruden and my agent and Mr. Mayock, they’ve had those discussions. … If they can get something done, and they can bring it to me, awesome,” Carr said. “That would be awesome. But it’s such a non-issue and such a non-topic for me because my mind is fixed on winning a championship, and that’s it.”
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Should Raiders Extend Carr?
GettyDerek Carr leading Raiders teammates to field.
Recently, Carr made it clear that he doesn’t have an interest in playing for any other NFL team. If he’s already made his mind up and it can’t be changed, he has no trade value. That shouldn’t matter to the Raiders if he plays well in 2021. His future with the team could depend on this season.
The team already knows he can play at a high level. He was a top-10 quarterback last season. However, if the Raiders miss the playoffs for a fifth straight year, somebody is going to have to take the fall. It won’t be Gruden, who is on a 10-year contract. As of right now, the Raiders should hold off on extending Carr. He’s made it clear that he isn’t going anywhere so there’s no rush to pay him more money. If he has a great 2021, Las Vegas should reward him with a new contract.
Carr Believes Raiders Are Getting Better
2021 is a pivotal year for many in the franchise, not just Carr. If the Raiders miss the playoff again, general manager Mike Mayock will be on an extremely hot seat. Even though Gruden has a ton of job security, he should be feeling the pressure right now. Not a lot of coaches miss the playoffs four years in a row and keep their job.
Luckily, Carr believes the Raiders are getting better and they just need to make some adjustments to get to the next level as he told Bonsignore.
Did we finish the season the way we wanted last year? No. But we still held onto that word all the way to that last two-point play. The same exact area of the field as the year before, the same exact window of a throw from the year before. Probably even a tighter window of a throw. And Darren Waller makes the catch, we score and win the game.
If you look at that and say ‘They’re not getting better,’ then you’re blind. If you watch what we did last year and say “They’re not getting better,” well, then you’re just angry. We are getting better. We are finishing better. But now there’s a certain level of championship effort we have to get to. There’s a certain level of championship finishing we need to get to. And if we can do that, I’m telling you, the sky is the limit for us. I believe it with everything in me.
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Raiders’ Derek Carr Sounds off on Possible Contract Extension