Reggie McKenzie, Jack Del Rio, and other members of the Oakland Raiders brass have made a point of saying they intend to re-sign quarterback Derek Carr this off-season. Seeing as Carr is a franchise quarterback, people expect him to receive a massive contract. However, since Derek Carr is such a high-character individual and a team player, rumors started spreading that he would take a team-friendly contract. Here’s the problem with that.
Derek Carr’s Contract Controversy
The biggest problem with Derek Carr signing a team-friendly contract is that it simply doesn’t make sense. It would be nice if Carr played for free, and the Raiders could go out and sign all of the NFL’s elite free agents, but that’s just not plausible. Derek Carr is a quarterback, but he’s also a father and a husband. He has yet to make a million dollars in a season with the Raiders, and this is only his first big contract.
He’s Earned It
There’s no question that Derek Carr is a franchise quarterback. His numbers are fantastic, and he’s well on his way to re-writing Oakland’s record book. Not only have Carr’s numbers gotten better year by year, but so have the Raiders. He lost his first ten games as a rookie, but won seven games in his second year. In 2016, he and the Raiders won 12 games, and clinched their first playoff spot since 2002.
Look at the money that quarterbacks like Tyrod Taylor, Joe Flacco, and Andy Dalton are making. Are they on Derek Carr’s level? Absolutely not. Carr is the best quarterback that the Oakland Raiders have had in at least ten years, and possibly ever. And if you believe that Carr is just a product of a good offensive line and excellent receivers, check out what Matt McGloin and Connor Cook did in his absence with the same team.
A Mile in His Shoes
As a fan, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s important. Fans of the Oakland Raiders want Derek Carr to be healthy and wealthy, but they also want the Raiders to be the best team they can be. A franchise quarterback’s salary isn’t cheap, and paying Derek Carr a ton of money will make it harder to sign free agents or retain the services of some of their own players.
However, if one were to ask any of these fans to take a pay cut, or somehow make less money than they already are at work, it’s safe to say many would refuse. It’s easy to take a pay cut or leave money on the table when it isn’t your money. Fans shouldn’t resent or denigrate Carr because he’s doing the same thing they would be doing, and likely, with better intentions.
Good Intentions
Derek Carr isn’t going to take his brand new contract to Las Vegas (At least not until the relocation is finalized) or buy a bunch of flashy stuff he doesn’t need. When Carr appeared on Colin Cowherd’s show, it sounded like he had very good intentions for his contract, saying “I’m always a team guy, but at the same time, they had three or four years of the rookie contract, too, to build a team and things like that and then I start thinking about my family, thinking about my boys, thinking about all the people in Haiti. I have a heart for Haiti, that I could help. I think about all the churches I’m attached to and all the people that that could help and that’s what motivates me.”
So while it’s true that money could be used to bring in a new safety, like Kansas City’s Eric Berry, or perhaps retain the services of a fringe player, like defensive tackle, Stacy McGee, Carr has more meaningful intentions. Derek Carr will do his part to make the Raiders great in the near future, whether he has a loaded roster or not, and it’s clear that the money he’ll make from football will be used to make the world a better place.
In Summation
Derek Carr is going to get a massive contract from the Oakland Raiders, and it might hurt their bank account for a while. The top ten quarterbacks in the NFL make roughly $20 million dollars a year, and Carr has absolutely earned that money. It would be nice for him to take a team-friendly deal, and as he gets older, he might do so, but for the time being, he’s gonna get paid. And next year? Khalil Mack is going to get paid too. However, it’s not all bad. After all, both Khalil Mack and Derek Carr are elite players and deserve elite pay.
