Derek Carr will be a free agent this offseason.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Carr has informed the Las Vegas Raiders that he will not accept a trade that sends him anywhere in the league, including the New Orleans Saints. The Raiders are now expected to fire Carr on Tuesday, which will make him a free agent this offseason.
Carr has not played as a healthy scratch in the Raiders’ last two games this season and the team is expected to continue after a disappointing 6-11 finish. Carr has spent his entire nine-year career with the franchise.
He has a no-trade clause in his current contract with the team and can veto any deal. If Carr stays with the Raiders roster after February 15, it would trigger a $40.4 million contract guarantee for him over the next two seasons.
With news on Sunday that he will not accept a trade, the Raiders are expected to release him on Tuesday, according to Rapoport.
Carr reportedly visited the Saints last week. New Orleans used both Jamies Winston and Andy Dalton as quarterbacks that season but finished 7-10.
Carr threw for 3,522 yards and 24 touchdowns with 14 interceptions in 15 games for the Raiders last season. He threw for a career-high 4,804 yards in 2021 and led the Raiders to a 10-7 finish, which is just one of three winning records he had there.
It’s unclear where Carr will end up next season, although there should be several interested teams in need of a quarterback, including the Carolina Panthers, New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At 31, Carr still has some good years in football ahead of him. The veteran could be an easy fix to a difficult offense in the right situation.
The Raiders are likely to fire Derek Carr in the coming days, making him a top free agent this offseason. (Gary A Vasquez/USA Today)