Derek Carr posts farewell to Las Vegas Raiders fans

“I never imagined it would end this way,” wrote the man who has been the franchise’s starting quarterback for the past nine years.

HENDERSON — Two weeks and one day after being benched for Las Vegas Raidersthe quarterback Derek Carr broke the silence and said goodbye to the team’s fans via a statement on social networks or this Thursday.

Carr had been the starting quarterback for the raiders since he was selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

“It breaks my heart not to have the opportunity to say goodbye in person,” he wrote. Carr, despite staying away from the team for their final two games as part of a mutual decision not to become a distraction. “We have certainly been on a roller coaster in our nine years together. From the bottom of my heart, I am so grateful and appreciative of the years of support you have given me and my family. We have had our share of heartbreaking moments and exciting winning series as well. , and I always felt that you were there with me.

“It’s especially hard to say goodbye and I can honestly say that I gave them everything I had, every day, in the season and offseason. It certainly wasn’t perfect, but I hope I was able to leave them with some great memories like raiderfans.”

Carrwho signed a five-year, $125 million contract extension with the raiders in 2017, and then another for three years and $121.5 million last spring, he said in 2021 that he “probably would give up football if I had to play for someone else. I’m a raider forever. I’m going to support a team for the rest of my life, it’s about the raiders. So I feel that so strongly in my heart, that I don’t require a perfect situation… for things to work out.

“I’d rather go down with the ship, you know what I say, if I have to.”

In his most recent statement, Carr He acknowledged those feelings, but said he still looked forward to playing for another football team in the nfl.

“I was serious,” he wrote, “but I never imagined it would end this way. That fire that burns inside me to win a championship is still burning.”

The latest extension of Carr included the right for raiders to cut it within three days after the super bowl for a relatively low cost of $5.625 million, and gave the quarterback a no-trade clause.

Thursday’s statement can be seen as a power play against the raiders. Carrwhose contract guarantees him 40 million dollars if he stays with Las Vegas or accept a trade before February 15, you can simply have the raiders cut it down to reach the open market, with Las Vegas receiving nothing as a reward.

Redemptions cannot be made official until March 15. So if the raiders find a redemption partner for Carrnot only would the quarterback have to agree with fate, but the raiders they would also have to trust the other team not to back down. Even though Carr can find a robust market for its services, its trade-in value for raiders it might not be as tall as it once was.

Earlier in the week, freshman head coach josh mcdaniels said that a conversation with Carr I was pending.

“Again, we’ve had a great relationship,” he explained. mcdaniels. “He’s done a lot of great things, and anything to the contrary is wrong. So we look forward to that, and like I said, there will be some time between now and when it happens.”

Carrwho turns 32 on March 28, stayed away from the team while Jarrett Stidham started in the last couple of games for the final two games of the raiders: an overtime loss against the san francisco 49ersseconds in planting the nfcand a loss to the Kansas City Chiefsfirst in planting the AFC.

The raiders finished with a 6-11 record, and Carr he finished with 3,522 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions in 15 games. Also, he had the lowest passer rating (86.3) and lowest completion percentage (60.8 percent) since his rookie season. His 2.8 interception percentage was also the highest of his career.

Carr holds franchise records raiders in passing yards (35,222), touchdown passes (217), sacks (264), fourth-quarter comebacks (28), game-winning drives (33) and starts for a quarterback (142), while throwing 99 interceptions, the third most in club history. His mark for the team, however, is 63-79, and he appeared in one playoff game, losing in the Wild Card Round before the cincinnati bengals it went 26-19 last season after throwing a last-minute interception just inches from the end zone.