The Las Vegas Raiders did not want to pay Derek Carr the roughly $40 million per year he was scheduled to make over the next two seasons, but the veteran quarterback may still feel that is a fair salary for him.
Carr has drawn interest from several teams since the Raiders cut him, and he appears to be deliberately taking his time before signing a new deal. According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, Carr is looking for a contract that pays at least $35 million annually. Russini also said Carr does not feel he needs to rush to be the first quarterback to sign somewhere, according to Saints Wire.
If Carr gets $35 million or more per year, that would place him just inside the top 10 in quarterback salaries, at least for the moment. The structure of the deal and total guaranteed money would be more important than the average annual value, but Carr should have a good chance of landing that type of contract.
We know the New Orleans Saints are interested in Carr, as they had the framework of a trade in place for him before Carr refused to waive his no-trade clause. Carr reportedly remains interested in the Saints, but he wanted to force the Raiders to make him a free agent so he had more control over his future.
The New York Jets also appear to be very high on Carr. That makes two teams that want to sign the 31-year-old, and there are others lurking as well.
Carr passed for 3,522 yards, 24 touchdowns and 14 interceptions with the Raiders last season. The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback led the Raiders to two playoff appearances in eight seasons.
