The end of Derek Carr’s tenure with the Raiders was anything but smooth.
It featured a visit with the Saints. Then, a decision that he wouldn’t accept a trade to New Orleans — or any other NFL team — that ultimately led to his Feb. 14 release.
But in an “NFL Total Access” segment on NFL Network, David Carr, his brother and former NFL quarterback, said that Carr “would’ve loved to have been involved in those [trade] conversations.”
“He was never asked to be in those conversations,” David, who the Texans selected No. 1 overall in 2002, said last week. “So I think that was the hardest part for him, is he wanted to make it work, but then in the end it didn’t and they released him, so now both parties will go their separate ways.”
Carr, who was in Mexico and “the sunshine” on the day of his release, was “in the dark for a while” with the team he’d spent all nine years of his career with, David said. He wanted to utilize his “superpower” by changing the play at the line of scrimmage, dissecting the defense like Peyton Manning, but David said he wasn’t able to use that skill under first-year Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels throughout the year.
McDaniels, who the Raiders hired prior to the 2022 season, was Carr’s sixth coach in nine seasons with Las Vegas — joining Dennis Allen, Tony Sparano, Jack Del Rio, Jon Gruden and Rich Bisaccia.
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“There was just a difference of opinion as far as how to run offensive football and how to play offensive football,” David said. “When you’re a veteran quarterback, you’ve got veteran guys, they want some control at the line of scrimmage.”
But Carr’s release placed him in what David called a “unique opportunity.” Carr has made four Pro Bowls throughout his career, including one in 2022. He became one of the top free agent options at quarterback, and he has already visited the Jets — a weekend trip ESPN’s Jeff Darlington described as a “positive” one — since parting ways with the Raiders.
Now, Carr gets to “hand-pick” where he signs his next contract. Carr had signed a three-year, $121.5 million extension with the Raiders in April, but his release before Feb. 15 allowed the team to avoid the $40 million that become guaranteed.
David will help his younger brother sift through various criteria, too, he said.
“He’s a smart guy,” David said. “He knows what he wants. He’s very focused on making the right decision for his family and his future. He still wants to play some good football.”
