Derek Carr claims the title fire is still raging in his farewell letter to the Raiders.

By Justin Jones On Jan 12, 2023

Derek Carr claims the title fire is still raging in his farewell letter to the Raiders. Derek Carr, the quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders, broke his silence and said goodbye to the team’s fans on social media on Thursday, two weeks and a day after being benched by the team.

Since his second-round selection by the Raiders in the 2014 NFL draught, Carr had been the team’s starting quarterback.

“This truly saddens me. Unfortunately, I was unable to give a proper farewell in person. “Carr wrote this despite agreeing with his teammates that he should not attend the team’s last two games to avoid being a nuisance. “Our nine years together have been nothing short of an emotional roller coaster. My deepest thanks for all the years you have financially supported my loved ones and me. It seemed like you were beside me through the tough times and the exciting game-winning drives.

“It’s painful to say goodbye since I know I gave you my throughout the entire season and even during the off months. Not everything could have gone as planned, but hopefully, you’ll go away as proud Raiders fans with some good stories to tell.”

After extending his deal with the Raiders for three more years and $121.5 million this past spring, Carr claimed he planned to retire in 2021. “I’d give up football if I had to play for someone else. Always and forever, I will be a Raider. It’s settled: the Raiders are the team I’ll always support. Therefore, deep down in my heart, I know it doesn’t take a perfect setting to set things straight.

If the ship must go down, I’d go down with it.

Carr recognized such thoughts in his most recent statement while also expressing excitement about joining a new NFL team.

“I did mean that,” he admitted in his letter, “but I never expected it to end like this. My desire to win a title is as strong as ever.”

Carr’s most recent agreement offered the quarterback a no-trade clause and granted the Raiders the right to release him within three days before the Super Bowl for a modest $5.625 salary-cap charge.

The statement the Raiders released on Thursday may have reduced their bargaining power in any potential deal. With a $40 million signing bonus awaiting him if he remains with the Raiders or accepts a trade before February 15, Carr has nothing to lose by waiting for his release and testing the free agency market.

It is not possible to finalize any trades until March 15th. The Raiders would have to trust that their prospective trade partner would not back out if they were to acquire Carr successfully, and the quarterback would have to agree to the move. So, while Carr’s skills may be in high demand, the Raiders may get less in return for trading him.

First-year head coach Josh McDaniels announced earlier this week that he would be talking to Carr soon.

To repeat, “we’ve had a fantastic relationship,” as McDaniels put it. “Whatever claims to the contrary are false. He has accomplished a tremendous deal. So, there’s something to look forward to, and there will be some time before that happens.”

Carr, who turns 32 on March 28, was out for both of the Raiders’ final two games, a pair of defeats at the hands of the NFC’s No. 2 seed San Francisco 49ers and the AFC’s No. 1 seed Kansas City Chiefs.

Carr threw for 3,522 yards, 24 touchdowns vs 14 picks in 15 games, and the Raiders were 6-11. His passer rating (86.3) and completion percentage (60.8) were career lows. His career high in interceptions is also 2.8%.

Carr owns Raiders franchise career records for passing yards (35,222), touchdown passes (217), sacks (264), fourth-quarter comebacks (28), game-winning drives (33), and starts by a quarterback (142), while tossing 99 interceptions, the third-most in franchise history. However, his career record is 63-79, and he has only played in one playoff game, a 26-19 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the wild-card round last season due to a last-second interception thrown short of the goal line.