Coming into the offseason, the major questions surrounding the Las Vegas Raiders had to do with who would be the coach and quarterback of the franchise moving forward. The coach question was answered with Josh McDaniels taking over the position, but the future of quarterback Derek Carr still has yet to be solidified.
McDaniels has spoken about his belief in Carr and foresees him as the team’s starting quarterback, but with Carr entering the final season of his contract, an extension between the two sides has yet to be reached. Until a deal is done, questions will continue about Carr’s future, but McDaniels again let it be known where he lies on the subject.
According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, McDaniels says the Raiders are trying to ‘build around’ Carr and that the two sides must do what’s best for this extension:
Josh McDaniels said #Raiders are "trying to build around" Derek Carr. As far as extension talks …
"Derek’s going to have to make decisions about what’s best for him & we have to try to do what’s right for the team. There will be a sweet spot in there hopefully for everybody."— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) March 28, 2022
The Raiders have certainly done an excellent job of putting some excellent pieces around their quarterback. Most notably on offense was their addition of star receiver Davante Adams, a good friend and former college teammate of Carr. Adams, along with Pro Bowl receiver Hunter Renfrow and tight end Darren Waller give Carr one of the best pass-catching trios in the NFL.
Additionally, the signing of pass rusher Chandler Jones gives the Raiders an elite pair of defensive ends who could wreak havoc on the opposition and give Carr some short fields to work with. By all accounts, the Raiders have set it up for Carr to have the best season of his career.
But despite everything pointing in the right direction, nothing will be for sure until pen is put to paper. As McDaniels said, both sides have to do what is best for them and while Carr has earned a much bigger contract, exactly how big it should be is up for discussion. Carr has proven himself to be a very good starting quarterback, but the price tag he may be looking for could be much higher. If the Raiders and Carr can’t find that sweet spot, there could be some issues in the near future.
