Raiders will begin pursuing extension for Derek Carr ‘shortly’

Just how close is Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie from hammering out a contract extension with star quarterback Derek Carr?

McKenzie shed some light on that in a SiriusXM NFL Radio interview with Alex Marvez and Gil Brandt.

“We’ll be starting those conversations shortly,” McKenzie said Wednesday night. “We’ve got this draft overwith now and we will be pursuing Derek shortly. We’re always trying to make sure we keep our good players, and we targeted Derek from the outset. We’re going to try to get him … get to talking to him and also with (offensive lineman) Gabe Jackson, too. We’re going to see if we can get some deals done.”

Carr said previously he’s hoping to get a deal done before training camp starts in July.

Carr signed a four-year, $5.37 million deal after he was selected by the Raiders in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft. He got a $2.2 million signing bonus, $3.3 million guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $1.3 million.

If Carr doesn’t sign an extension, he will earn in 2017 a base salary of $977,519, a roster bonus of $150,000 and a workout bonus of $25,000.

Stay tuned.

This story was originally published May 3, 2017 at 6:47 PM with the headline "Raiders will begin pursuing extension for Derek Carr ‘shortly’."