Report: Raiders QB Derek Carr vetoes trade to Saints, release expected soon by Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr is staying put — for now, at least, according to reports.
Carr, 31, has decided to exercise his no-trade clause to the New Orleans Saints or any other team, according to NFL Network. This means that if Las Vegas does decide to move on from the nine-year veteran, as is expected, the Raiders will have to release him and Carr would then be allowed to test the market in free agency.
The Raiders had allowed Carr and his representatives to meet with interested teams to facilitate a trade out of Las Vegas. Carr had spent time this week visiting the Saints, whose coach — Dennis Allen — was the head coach of the Raiders in 2014 when the franchise selected Carr in the second round of the NFL draft, with the 36th overall pick.
According to NFL Network, the Raiders and Saints had the framework for a deal, but Carr's contract was an issue. On Wednesday, $40.4 million will become fully guaranteed..
“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 last week. “So for me, that’s just to win, win a championship. That’s at the forefront of the mind. It’s not money.”
Carr is coming off of a Pro Bowl season in which he completed 60.8% of his passes for 3,522 yards with 24 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. The Raiders were in their first season under coach Josh McDaniels in 2022, but they struggled to compete in the AFC West, finishing 6-11 and in third place in the division.
If Carr indeed leaves the Raiders, he will depart as the franchise leader in passing yards (35,222), passing touchdowns (217), completions (3,201), attempts (4,958), completion percentage (64.6%) and quarterback rating (91.8).
Contributing: Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Derek Carr vetoes trade to Saints; expected to be released by Raiders
