HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Derek Carr said Thursday night he will not extend the Feb. 15 deadline to help facilitate a trade from the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Raiders must trade or release the quarterback by that date — three days after the Super Bowl — or Carr’s contract will become guaranteed and Las Vegas will have to pay him $40.4 million over the next two years.
Because a trade wouldn’t be official until March 15 when the new league year begins, a team could renege on a deal made before then. Carr would have to agree to extend the mid-February deadline to ensure any agreements remained in place.
“I don’t think that would be best for me,” said Carr, who has a no-trade clause in his contract.
Even so, Carr said a trade could be reached by Feb. 15, but didn’t sound as though he was in a hurry to make it happen.
The Raiders have not given Carr or his agent, Tim Younger, permission to speak with other teams regarding a potential deal.
“I’m just abiding by the rules,” Carr said. “If it gets to that date, then it gets to that date, and I’ll be able to talk to all my friends.”
Carr competed in the precision passing contest at Raiders headquarters as part of Pro Bowl festivities, and his event-high 31 points helped give the AFC an early 9-3 lead over the NFC. When asked on ESPN’s broadcast whether he had ever been that hot in Las Vegas, Carr quipped: “Not that hot. Probably why I’m going somewhere else.”
Carr played nine seasons for the Raiders and holds club records for career yards passing (35,222) and touchdown passes (217). But he also never won a playoff game. And after struggling late in the season, Carr was benched with two games remaining and acknowledged he was angry about the decision.
He said he is prepared to try free agency should the Raiders release him, and said Peyton Manning shared his experiences with him after going through a similar situation. The Indianapolis Colts released Manning, who is coaching the AFC team at the Pro Bowl, in 2012 and he went on to win a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos.
“He’s like, ‘Man, it was kind of surreal in the moment. Like, wow, you can’t even believe it. But then you just go to the next place and you move on and do your best there,'” Carr said. “It’s nice to hear that from someone who I think is the best to play the game.”
Carr said he will always consider himself as part of the Raiders organization and anticipates possibly returning for team events in the future, but is looking forward to what might be coming next for his playing career.
“I’m just looking for teams that have made that decision consistently that they’ll do whatever it takes to put a winning program out there,” Carr said. “So for me, that’s just to win, win a championship. That’s at the forefront of the mind. It’s not money.”
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