Derek Carr took to social media Thursday to address his upcoming departure from the Las Vegas Raiders after nine years.
The 31-year-old, three-time NFL Pro Bowl quarterback wrote that his departure from the organization was heartbreaking, especially since he “didn’t get an opportunity to say goodbye in person.”
He went on to thank Raiders fans for their support over the years, a tenure that Carr acknowledged “wasn’t perfect,” but one that he gave his all to “every single day, in season, and in the offseason.”
Carr ended his note by sharing that the “fire burning inside of me to win a championship still rages,” and that he looks forward to joining a new team this offseason.
Carr’s departure comes after the Raiders limped out to a 1-4 record before finishing 6-11 under first-year head coach Josh McDaniels, missing the playoffs for the seventh time in Carr’s nine-year tenure. What’s more, Carr was benched for the team’s final two games this season, which Jarrett Stidham started.
Carr previously signed a three-year, $121.5 million extension with Las Vegas in April 2022 that tied him to the Raiders through the 2025 season. That deal, which also included a no-trade clause, allows the Raiders to cut him within three days of the Super Bowl for only a $5.625 million salary-cap hit. Las Vegas will examine trades for the quarterback.
Carr joined the Raiders in 2014 as a second-round pick out of Fresno State as their primary starter. He has thrown for 35,222 yards, 217 touchdowns and 99 interceptions in 142 games. He boasts a 63-79 record as a starter.
He played in his only postseason game for Las Vegas in 2021, losing in the wild-card round to the Cincinnati Bengals. Carr missed out on the Raiders’ only playoff appearance in his tenure, in 2016, after injuring himself in the penultimate game of the regular season.
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