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Derek Carr’s brother is “a little upset” over the Raiders quarterback getting benched.
David Carr, a former NFL quarterback who was the first overall pick of the Houston Texans in 2002 and currently serves as an analyst for NFL Network, got a few things off his chest on Monday when he discussed his brother’s situation with Las Vegas.
Carr has been benched for the final two games of the season, with the Raiders starting Jarrett Stidham in his place in a move that signaled the potential end of his nine-year tenure with the team. The quarterback is away from the team for the final two weeks of the regular season to avoid distractions.
David Carr said Monday that he believes his brother is not appreciated by the Raiders and that the team will seek to trade him.
“Derek Carr has said for a long time ‘I’m only going to play for the Raiders.’ It’s the Raiders or no one else. Such loyalty,” David said, referring to a soundbite from his brother in June 2021 when he said he’s a Raider for life, adding at the time, “I’d probably quit football if I had to play for somebody else.”
David went on to explain how his brother was “fully invested” in the Raiders.
“Six head coaches, Khalil Mack gets traded, Amari Cooper’s shipped off, Jon Gruden gets fired midseason, he’s going through all this turmoil, right?” David said. “He never called out a coach, never called out the organization, never called out the top brass in the organization, never said anything.
“All he did was try to bring people in. He tried to bring in his best friend, which he was successful at in Davante Adams. That trade was dead. The Packers and the Raiders weren’t going to trade, right? They got on the phone and made it happen. So, he’s bringing people in the entire time.
“Is he appreciated for that? No. I sit on this desk and every year I have to talk about Derek, ‘Is he going to be replaced? Someone’s going to bring him in, right? They got to trade, they got to do this, they got to do that.’”
David also disputed speculation that Carr will call it a career if he’s traded by the Raiders — and revealed what the quarterback is looking for moving forward.
“All he did was go out and be the all-time leading passer in the history of the Raiders,” David said. “So, when I look at this it wasn’t Derek that changed, it was the Raiders that changed. So, when I go forward with Derek that conversation of him being retired or a Raider is no longer an option. He’s playing football again.
“He’s reinvigorated. He’s going out and the Raiders are going to seek a trade, they’re going to bring trades, which Derek has a no-trade clause, and they’re going to listen. And he’s going to look for teams that have a stable situation between their head coach and their ownership, right? Stable. He’s also going to be looking for a team that is also looking for a quarterback that has a reputation for game-winning drives and fourth quarter comebacks. I’m excited. Maybe he’s the missing piece for someone. We’ll see what happens. I’m excited for my brother’s future. I’m a little upset, alright, so that’s what happens.”
Carr, whom the Raiders drafted in the second round in 2014, is under contract through 2025 after agreeing to a three-year, $121.5 million extension in April.
The Raiders are sitting Carr for the final two games of the regular season to preserve him for the trade market. Jarrett Stidham took over as starter for Carr and played brilliantly in a 37-34 overtime loss to the 49ers.
Carr’s $32.9 million base salary for 2023 and $7.5 million of his 2024 base salary becomes fully guaranteed if he is still on the Raiders roster three days after the Super Bowl, per NFL Network.
Trades cannot become official until the start of the new league year, on March 15, though they can be agreed to before then. If Carr is released or traded this offseason, the Raiders dead cap number would only be $5.625 million, according to Spotrac.
Carr, who will turn 32 in March, last played in a 13-10 loss to the Steelers on Dec. 24. He was just 16-of-30 passing for 174 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.
A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Carr leads the league with 14 interceptions while having completed 60.8 percent of his passes for 3,522 yards and 24 touchdowns. In his nine years in the league, the Raiders have finished with a winning record just twice and have two playoff appearances, losing in the first round each time.
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