If the off-season quotes weren't enough already, the Raiders made a definitive statement on Derek Carr's future.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported Wednesday that Carr and the Raiders have agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $121.5 million. Carr's extension runs through the 2025 season and includes a no-trade clause, according to Rapoport and Garafolo. The team later announced the expansion.
"I just wanted to be a raider," Carr said at a press conference. "And I said to my agent, I said 'I'm either going to be a raider or I'm going to play golf, like I don't want to play anywhere else.' How important is this place to me."
Carr is set to earn an average of $40.5 million per year under his new expansion, ranking fifth among all quarterbacks in average annual salary. It's a number that may come as a surprise to those who don't see Carr as an elite quarterback, but it's money well spent for the Raiders, who saw Carr reach the passing yard (4,804) in 2021. To break the previous mark for the franchise's single-season record. Set by Rich Gannon in his NFL MVP-winning 2002 season.
Still, it's a contract that allows the Raiders to maintain salary cap flexibility going forward, which was not lost on new head coach Josh McDaniels.
McDaniels said, "What he did, and what we were willing to come to terms with, I think shows you that he's significantly invested in this place, this organization, and helping us win." might try." Vincent Bonsignor of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The price of playing a good-but-elite quarterback has risen according to the most lucrative deals ever handed to the league's top signal-callers. In a near-first NFL, an increase in compensation makes logical sense, and those who looked to Carr in 2021 would agree to secure Carr's services beyond the final year of his current contract for Las Vegas. There was wisdom.
Those who disagree can take some time to review the quarterback's recent performance. Carr finished in the top eight in percentage of completion (64.8), passing yards per game (282.6) and passing yards per attempt (7.7). His passer ratings of 94 for 2020 (101.4) and 2019 (100.) are, in fact, excellent.
Las Vegas overcame such adversities to reach the playoffs thanks to a frantic, late-season push that included last-second victories over Cleveland, Indianapolis and the Los Angeles Chargers in the final month of the season. Raiders simply don't reach Super Wild Card Weekend without Carr, a quarterback who has proven significantly more proficient as a passer over the past four seasons, increasing his combined completion percentage, yards per game, yards per attempt and passer ratings. Increase in 2018-2021 as compared to 2014-2017.
Carr has the fourth most passing yards in the NFL since 2018, behind only Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady and Matt Ryan, and even better than 2020 and 2021 NFL MVP, Aaron Rodgers doing. And Carr has been consistently available, standing as one of only seven quarterbacks to start 115 or more games since he was drafted in 2014.
Carr may not be elite, but he's certainly playing at a level near that class of quarterback.
After several off-seasons with Silver and Black contemplating the quarterback's future, the new Las Vegas leadership pairing of Dave Ziegler and the McDaniels have decided to lock in well beyond 2022 to eliminate any uncertainty about Carr. ensured.
We can put an end to such speculation on Carr's long-term outlook with the Raiders for now. All that's left for the quarterback is to resume his rapprochement with his former Fresno State running mate, star receiver Davante Adams. If they can pick up from where they left off in college, the two could eventually lead the Raiders to their first playoff win since the 2002 AFC Championship Game.
“My agents, myself and the team, we made sure that people like Chandler (Jones), Davante, people like Hunter (Renfroe) and Foster (Moro), as expected, they could all be here,” Carr said. "The way we structured it, the last time I signed my contract, I was already through heartbreak. My best friend (Khalil Mack) left, and I didn't want that to happen again." ever be
"So it was an opportunity for me to prove to the team, the organization, our fans, that the way we're going to structure it, so that we can all put together and there's really consistency, there's something to build." "