Derek Carr reveals reason he forced Raiders to release him

Mar 11, 2023; Metairie, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) speaks at Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Derek Carr refused to waive his no-trade clause for the Las Vegas Raiders, and the veteran quarterback indicated over the weekend that he went that route after feeling the team treated him unfairly.

Carr knew the Raiders planned to move on from him, so he had no incentive to allow them to trade him. That does not mean he was opposed to it entirely. At his introductory press conference with the New Orleans Saints on Saturday, Carr said he was “very willing to accept a trade” but the Raiders only let him speak with one team — the one with which he ended up signing.

“I was only given permission to talk to one team,” Carr said, via Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. “As much as I love and respect those guys, (GM) Dave (Ziegler) and (head coach) Josh (McDaniels) over at the Raiders, how do I make that decision when it’s the only time in my career that I’ve been, or could possibly be free? I can’t possibly make that decision without being able to talk to other people. But I still almost made the decision. I felt so much love here. Like, I still almost did it.”

The Raiders and Saints had the framework of a deal in place for Carr, but Carr did not waive his no-trade clause. Las Vegas then had to cut the 31-year-old before another huge guarantee in his contract triggered. It’s a bit strange that the Raiders did not let Carr speak with other teams, especially if they wanted to give themselves a chance of getting something in return.

Carr secured a much better contract by signing with the Saints as a free agent, though he could have accomplished the same with a restructure. Either way, it doesn’t sound like the Raiders tried very hard to trade him.