Perhaps Derek Carr shined during the Pro Bowl’s precision passing-skills challenge because he wanted to prove the Raiders wrong and impress trade suitors.
Carr had the most points in the competition (31), lifting the AFC over the NFC.
When ESPN’s Ryan Clark asked Carr if he ever had a hot streak like that in Las Vegas, he said, “Not that hot — that’s probably why I’m going somewhere else.”
Las Vegas is hosting the Pro Bowl, bringing more attention to the Carr-Raiders breakup.
After nine seasons on the Raiders, they felt they needed to move on, benching Carr after Week 16. Carr and the team mutually agreed that he would step away for the rest of the season.
The Raiders will trade or release Carr before Feb. 15, so they will incur only a $5.6M cap hit.
Carr has a no-trade clause, meaning he could be petty and wait for the Raiders to release him, but he prefers a trade and wants to “save face,” per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Las Vegas general manager Dave Ziegler hints that trade talks will gain momentum soon. “There’s gonna be people who are interested in Derek Carr,” Ziegler told SiriusXM on Thursday.
Ziegler is at the Senior Bowl. Because representatives from all 32 NFL teams are in attendance, several opportunities to discuss a deal may arise.
Teams such as the Jets, Saints, Buccaneers and Panthers are in the veteran QB market and covet a precise passer like Carr.
