It appears as though Derek Carr is looking to make his divorce with the Las Vegas Raiders as messy as possible.
In case you’re unaware, the relationship between Carr and the Raiders reached its breaking point toward the latter half of the 2022-23 season. The Raiders decided to bench their franchise quarterback with two games remaining in the regular season, attempting to give Josh McDaniels a better look at his options moving forward. That move didn’t sit right with Carr, who made it clear from that point that he was done with Las Vegas.
Not only did the four-time Pro Bowler officially say goodbye with a heartfelt Instagram post, but he’s taken aim at the only organization he’s ever played for on a number of occasions.
Given the understanding on both sides that the relationship would soon reach its conclusion, Carr recently took an extended visit with the New Orleans Saints in hopes that terms on a trade could eventually be reached.
Or, at least that’s what we thought.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported Sunday that Carr would be forcing the Raiders’ hand in another direction.
“Sources: Raiders QB Derek Carr has informed the team he won’t accept a trade to the Saints or any other team,” Rapoport tweeted. “The team is expected to release him and he’ll be a top free agent.”
Obviously, by not accepting a trade and forcing a release, Carr is ensuring the Raiders will not receive any compensation for him.
The decision to not accept a trade came after Carr and the Saints reportedly made “significant steps” in working on a potential union. The QB isn’t making things impossible on Las Vegas, however, as he won’t exercise the trigger date in his contract, which would make his money guaranteed. To ensure he actually doesn’t do that, the Raiders may want to consider releasing him before Feb. 15.
