Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr announced earlier this month that he would not bother with a new contract once NFL training camp started. This was simply because Carr wanted to only worry about practicing, improving, and winning in 2017 and didn't want contract negotiations to get in the way of his work on the field. However, it looks like they might not be a worry. ESPN reported that The Raiders are working on a new contract for Derek that will make him the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.
Derek Carr contract rumors
The new Derek Carr contract with the Oakland Raiders looks to average him out at about $25 million a season.
Before that, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck topped the list at $24.6 million with Carson Palmer ($24.35 million), Drew Brees ($24.25 million) and Kirk Cousins ($23.9 million) right behind him.
There is a huge difference between Derek Carr and those other names. Andrew Luck had a lot of playoff success before signing his deal. Drew Brees is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and won a Super Bowl. Carson Palmer, while nowhere near as successful as the other two, has been in the NFL for a very long time. Kirk Cousins in the odd-man out but his is a franchise tag deal and not an actual contract.
Derek Carr has only played in the NFL for three seasons. He has only led the Oakland Raiders to the playoffs once in his short career.
Andrew Luck had led the Indianapolis Colts to the playoffs in his first three seasons when he got his huge deal.
The reasons for Derek Carr's contract
The reason that the Oakland Raiders might want to jump the gun and pay huge to keep Derek Carr is that Oakland has gone many years without sniffing the playoffs before 2016. They need a face of the franchise before moving to Las Vegas and the Raiders believe that Carr can be the man to keep them competitive for years to come.
In 2016, Derek Carr threw for 3,927 yards and 28 touchdowns with only six interceptions. The playoff appearance for the Raiders was the team's first since 2002. However, Derek broke his fibula in Week 16 and was unable to play in the postseason, causing the Raiders to go one-and-done.
That is something that the Oakland Raiders want to beware of.
If the Derek Carr contract is compared to the Andrew Luck deal, fans see what happened after Luck inked his new contract. With the Colts paying Luck so much, they cut other talent and the team surrounding their quarterback is weaker than the playoff years. Plus, Andrew Luck has not been healthy since signing the deal. With Carr's injury last year, the Raiders have to hope their luck is better.
