Getty Image / Jeff Bottari
It’s no secret the Las Vegas Raiders are moving on from Derek Carr. However, the franchise hasn’t given him permission to seek a trade.
Now, we finally know why and the front office might be playing mind games.
According to Albert Breer and shared by Dov Kleiman, the Raiders won’t give Carr freedom to seek a trade as they don’t want him to know what NFL teams might be willing to pay him in case they have to cut him.
The reason that the #Raiders won't give Derek Carr's camp complete freedom to seek a trade is because they don't want Carr to have the "knowledge" of what other NFL teams will be willing to pay him in case he gets cut, per @AlbertBreer
"Carr would have power to rig the process." pic.twitter.com/UFNYNakj55
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 6, 2023
Essentially, Las Vegas is worried that Carr would utilize his no-trade clause if he knows how much he could get in a new contract if he ends up getting cut.
The one-time friendly relationship between Derek Carr and the Raiders is turning into a messy situation.
February 15 is a crucial date to keep an eye on. That’s when the Raiders are due to pay Carr $40.4 million in guaranteed money. His refusal to extend that trigger date puts Las Vegas in a tricky spot.
They essentially have until that date to trade him. Otherwise, the Raiders will owe Carr all of that money. If a trade cannot be reached, it’s already speculated he could be cut.
We’ll see how it plays out, but for now, neither side is giving in and it’s creating quite a bit of drama in Las Vegas.