The saga between the Las Vegas Raiders and quarterback Derek Carr will soon be coming to an end. On February 14 the Raiders will have to make the decision on whether to release Carr, otherwise, his $40.4 million salary for next season becomes guaranteed.
There is basically no chance of that happening, but the Raiders were expecting to explore the trade market for their former starting quarterback. However, it was recently reported that the Raiders had not granted Carr permission to speak with other teams about a potential trade, a significant revelation as Carr has a no-trade clause and thus, must approve any potential deal.
The Raiders would finally allow Carr the opportunity to visit teams however, with the quarterback visiting the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday. But according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, it remains unlikely that a trade will happen before that deadline:
The Raiders finally relented on Tuesday, allowing quarterback Derek Carr to visit with the New Orleans Saints. The natural reaction to the news became wondering whether Carr might actually be traded.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, that still remains unlikely.
A trade of Carr always seemed unlikely for a number of reasons. The biggest of which is that the rest of the league is aware of that deadline date and is expecting him to be a free agent which they could sign for less money than what he would be owed as opposed to giving up an asset to pay Carr $40 million.
Thanks to the Raiders’ refusal to let Carr visit potentially interested teams, there simply isn’t a lot of time for Carr to gauge the market and decide which team is best for him, which would have to happen because of that no-trade clause. At this point, the better move for Carr to land in the best place for him is to hit free agency.
While he is unlikely to make the money he would’ve been owed by the Raiders, he will still be able to get a very good deal from a team in need of a veteran signal-caller. And with multiple teams such as the Saints, Indianapolis Colts, Washington Commanders, and New York Jets all in need at the position, Carr could potentially drive up his price.
All in all, this visit is unlikely to amount to anything and by all accounts, Carr will soon be a free agent able to pick his next destination.
