Derek Carr joins exclusive NFL club as Las Vegas Raiders extend Fresno State star’s contract
Derek Carr is joining the $40 million club.
Carr has received a contract extension with the Las Vegas Raiders, keeping the former Fresno State star in the Silver and Black — and with best friend and college teammate Davante Adams.
The deal is reportedly for three years and is worth $121.5 million, according to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Wednesday morning. The contract, which includes a no-trade clause, breaks down to $40.5 million each of the next three seasons.
He joins Josh Allen (Firebaugh High/Reedley College) of the Bills, Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs, Dak Prescott of the Cowboys, Matthew Stafford of the Rams and Deshaun Watson of the Browns with $40 million annual deals.
“Derek Carr has been the leader of this franchise for a long time and we are thrilled to continue that relationship moving forward,” Raiders coach Josh McDaniels said. “He has been a great example of someone who always puts the team first and we appreciate his desire to keep doing that while leading on and off the field. It is clear how much Derek cares about this organization, his teammates and winning. I look forward to the opportunity to work with him this season and beyond.”
The breakdown of Carr’s contract, as senior NFL reporter Albert Breer details, is as follows:
▪ He will receive $25 million in 2022, followed by $33 million in 2023 and $42 million in 2024. He noted the $33 million for 2023 and $7.5 million of his 2024 contract will become fully guaranteed. Carr is set to receive $7.5 million when he signs.
▪ Breer also noted that Carr’s injury guarantee is $65.5 million, and if he’s released after 2023, the contract will essentially be a 1-year, $45.7 extension.
Carr has said in the past that he wanted to be a Raider for the rest of his career. He’s holding on that commitment to the team that drafted him in 2014.
“We feel like in the last couple of years, we’ve been trending in the right direction,” Carr said. “ And for me, it says so much about a lot of things. There is a lot of coaches you got to prove it, there is a lot of GMs that you have to prove it to you. There’s been a lot of turnover, a lot of different players that you play with and to still be able to be here, it means something to me because like, I understand if someone came in, they’d want somebody new. Like, I get it, you know?
“But the fact that they keep believing in me and watching the tape and saying, ‘Wow, we want you to be here for some more years or some more time.’ That means that means way more to me than any of the other stuff it has to do with. I’ve only wanted to be a Raider and I told my agent, I said, ‘I’m either going to be a Raider or I’m going to be playing golf.’ Like, I don’t want to play anywhere else. That’s how much this place means to me.”
The extension comes on the heels of the Raiders acquiring Adams from the Green Bay Packers on March 17.
Carr led the Raiders to the playoffs last season after a 10-7 finish.
The three-time Pro Bowler completed his eighth season as the Raiders’ starting quarterback after being drafted by the team in 2014.
He started the first 47 games of his career, becoming the first Raiders offensive player since 1975 to accomplish that.
Carr ranks first amongst Raiders quarterbacks with 31,700 yards, 193 touchdowns, 2,896 completions and 4,456 attempts. He also has games with multiple-touchdown passes (59), games with a passer rating of at least 100 points (44) and 300-yard passing contests (31).
Carr has 30 game-winning drives.
He was selected in the second round (36th overall) by the Raiders in the 2014 NFL draft and is the longest tenured quarterback in the AFC.
Carr would have entered this season on a one-year deal, but he’s secured with the Raiders for three more seasons.
“I am crazy enough to go out there on one year and especially with the guys that are going to be around me,” Carr said. “I said I’ll take that chance and see what happens. But I think for me, I am a little bit different in the way that I think and in the way that I view this business. And I know not a lot of people view it the same way I do. I mean, you see guys wanting to get out and leave places all the time because it’s too hard or it’s not the right situation and all that kind of stuff, and more power to them. But there’s something about this place where I was just like, I’ll do whatever it takes just to be here. They made it clear all along that this was a priority. I didn’t really ever feel like the pressure that that was going to happen.”
This story was originally published April 13, 2022 at 8:53 AM.
