There has been some lack of clarity regarding how the Las Vegas Raiders are handling an inevitable trade of quarterback Derek Carr. It turns out their stance is somewhat nuanced but sensible.
Previous reports had indicated that the Raiders had yet to grant Carr or his agent permission to speak to other teams about a potential trade. This seemed detrimental to getting a deal done, as Carr’s contract may require interested teams to negotiate some adjustments, not to mention the quarterback’s full no-trade clause.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter clarified the situation on Friday. The Raiders have granted Carr permission to speak to teams after those teams agree on compensation with the Raiders.
Raiders already have granted QB Derek Carr permission to speak with other teams interested in trading for him that have also agreed to compensation with Las Vegas, per sources.
It's the same arrangement the Texans had with quarterback Deshaun Watson last off-season.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 3, 2023
As Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal explains, the Raiders were never going to give Carr blanket permission to speak to all 31 teams. The franchise simply wants to be sure that they are dealing with a serious suitor before letting Carr speak to them.
Bottom line:
The @Raiders were always going to let Derek Carr talk to teams that expressed sincere interest in trading for him. (made a legit offer)
They were never going to give him permission to go out and talk to 31 other teams while still under contract to them.
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) February 3, 2023
The Raiders and Carr will still have to work out whether the quarterback is interested in any of these suitors. They will have to do it quickly, as his contract will become guaranteed on Feb. 15, and Carr has indicated that he will not extend that deadline.
Interest in Carr has so far been kept close to the vest, though there is chatter that one NFC team could be in the running.
