Getty Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders.
After years of Jon Gruden being non-committal on a long-term deal for Derek Carr, the quarterback finally has a coach and front office that’s ready to commit. When the Las Vegas Raiders hired Josh McDaniels as head coach, it was unclear what Carr’s future would be. McDaniels said all the right things and even committed to Carr being the starting quarterback in Week 1. However, nothing is official until a contract is agreed upon.
Well, it’s time for Carr to celebrate as the two sides have agreed on a massive extension. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the quarterback is getting a three-year extension worth $121.5 million.
The #Raiders and star QB Derek Carr have agreed to terms on a 3-year contract extension worth $121.5M, source said. The agreement ties Carr to Las Vegas through the 2025 season. He is already the longest tenured QB in the AFC. 💰 💰 💰
That will pay the quarterback $40.5 million annually over the course of the extension. That is easily the biggest contract the Raiders have ever handed out to a player. It was obvious the team was bringing him back after they traded for Davante Adams. Carr is a big reason the superstar wanted to come to Las Vegas. There is now no doubt who the quarterback of the future is with the Raiders.
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Carr Joins $40 Million Club
After the 2016 season that saw Carr finish third in the MVP race, he received a contract that made him the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history. That didn’t last long as he was surpassed by Matthew Stafford shortly after. This newest extension doesn’t make him the highest-paid quarterback but it does put him in rare company. Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Dak Prescott and Stafford are the only other quarterbacks making $40+ million annually.
Derek Carr’s $40.5 million new-money average on his new three-year extension with the #Raiders puts him 5th among QBs and makes him the 7th member of the $40M+ club, joining Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford and Dak Prescott.
Carr led the Raiders to an improbable playoff run and was close to beating the Cincinnati Bengals, who ended up winning the AFC. He proved a lot to the team and its fan base last season despite only throwing for 24 touchdowns. Now that he has one of the top offensive minds in McDaniels coaching him and the best wide receiver in the NFL to throw to, he could be headed for a career year.
Is This a Team-Friendly Deal?
Over the years, there’s been a lot of talk of Carr taking a discount for the Raiders. He’s said that he doesn’t want to play anywhere else and they just landed one of his best friends in Adams. Based on the $40.5 million a year average, it’s difficult to call this a team-friendly deal. However, it will become clearer when the guaranteed money becomes available.
While this doesn’t look like the friendliest deal on the surface, there could be language in the contract that helps the team out. If the guarantees are reasonable, then it’s easier for the Raiders to move things around to create cap space in certain situations. Regardless, the team wanted to keep him around long-term and McDaniels clearly believes that he can further develop the quarterback. If he throws for 30 touchdowns, 4,800 yards and 10 interceptions next season while leading the Raiders to 12 wins, nobody is going to complain about his contract. It’s now up to Carr to further prove he’s worth all that money and commitment.
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