Raiders Rumors: Derek Carr Won’t Waive No-Trade Clause
Derek Carr, Raiders
Dec 8, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) gestures as he runs with the ball against the Los Angeles Rams in the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The saga between Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders will soon be over, and it looks as if it will wind up the way many thought it would.

The deadline for Carr to be released without the Raiders owing him more than $40 million is on Wednesday. Carr does have a no-trade clause on his contract which basically gives him control as to where he could be traded if the Raiders were to find a partner, and Carr did visit the New Orleans Saints last week, leading some to wonder if that could be a destination.

But by all accounts, it looks as if the Raiders will have to release Carr. According to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN, Carr will not waive his no-trade clause or extend Wednesday’s deadline, putting the Raiders up against the clock:

Derek Carr will not waive his no-trade clause and will not extend Wednesday’s deadline for more than $40 million in guarantees to kick in on his current contract, sources confirmed to ESPN on Sunday.

The Las Vegas Raiders might release the nine-year veteran quarterback as soon as Monday, the sources said, as only one team was interested in a trade, and it wanted Carr to take a pay cut.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise as Carr has no reason to waive that no-trade clause and potentially wind up on a team that he doesn’t want to be on. The problem with a trade was always going to be whether a team was willing to pay Carr that salary and as Gutierrez noted, the one team that was interested in trading for Carr wasn’t interested at that price.

Assuming he is released, Carr will have a head start on free agency. Other players whose contracts have run out won’t be able to sign until the start of the new league year, but Carr will be able to immediately negotiate and sign with any team of his choosing.

For the Raiders, the question remains who will be under center when the 2023 season begins. The team was linked to Tom Brady before he retired, and there has been a lot of talk about Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers recently with both Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs openly talking about that possibility. Jimmy Garoppolo has also been mentioned as a possibility considering his familiarity with head coach Josh McDaniels and his offensive system, and the Raiders also own the seventh overall pick in the draft.