Derek Carr signed team-friendly contract so Raiders could retain key players

Derek Carr’s new contract with the Las Vegas Raiders is certainly a big one, but there is a legitimate argument he could have made more if he had wanted to. However, the quarterback had a good reason for that stance.

Carr signed a new three-year deal worth $121.5 million on Wednesday. The new deal will pay Carr roughly $40.5 million per year, which leaves him fifth among current quarterbacks. That is something of a reversal of a trend, as quarterback contracts have consistently topped each other for a few years now.

At a press conference Wednesday, Carr said he wanted to ensure that the Raiders could retain other stars, noting that his previous contract had helped lead to the team’s decision to trade star pass-rusher Khalil Mack.

“The way we structured it, I went through a heartbreak already the last time I signed my contract,” Carr said, via Nick Shook of NFL.com. “My best friend (Khalil Mack) left, and I didn’t want that to happen ever again.”

Carr is obviously in a good spot when a team-friendly deal still has him making north of $40 million a year. He had previously signed a five-year, $125 million deal in 2017, but that left the Raiders needing to make some tough decisions. A little more than a year later, they traded Mack, a move that Carr was clearly unhappy with at the time.

The message Carr is sending is that he wants to see the Raiders spend on a quality team around him. He clearly feels he has given the team the financial flexibility to make that happen.