Raiders Rumors: Derek Carr's Contract 'Key' to Trade; 'Uncertain' If QB Would Rework

A trade of Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr reportedly may depend on his willingness to rework his contract.

Appearing Saturday on SportsCenter, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler said Carr's contract will be "key" in trade negotiations since $40.4 million in guaranteed money will trigger in Carr's contract on Feb. 15, and teams may prefer to spread that money out over multiple years.

Fowler noted that the Raiders will have to agree to trade compensation and then allow Carr and the other team to negotiate a reworked contract, but it is "uncertain" if Carr has any interest in doing so.

The 31-year-old Carr has been the Raiders' starting quarterback since entering the NFL as a second-round pick in the 2014 draft, starting all but two regular-season games over his first eight seasons.

Carr also started the first 15 games this season, but with Vegas sitting at a disappointing 6-9 and out of the playoff picture, head coach Josh McDaniels decided to bench the veteran signal-caller in favor of Jarrett Stidham.

Stidham started the Raiders' final two games, and Carr stepped away from the team so as not to cause any distractions.

While Carr only led the Raiders to the playoffs twice and never won a playoff game, he is a key figure in team history, as he is the all-time leader in passing yardage (35,222), passing touchdowns (217) and completion percentage among players with at least 35 passing attempts (64.6 percent).

Since Carr has not been able to get the Raiders anywhere close to the Promised Land, however, it is understandable why the organization would want to move on and avoid paying him a huge amount of guaranteed money.

Carr, who was named to the Pro Bowl as an injury replacement, was asked this week about potentially agreeing to extend the Feb. 15 deadline for his guarantees to trigger.

He made it clear that he doesn't intend to do so, telling ESPN's Stephen Holder, "I don't think that would be best for me."

That means the Raiders have less than two weeks to make a trade happen, or else they will have to release Carr and lose him for nothing.

Fowler noted that there is some interest in Carr, especially in the NFC South, with the New Orleans Saints potentially leading the way.

The Saints are reportedly "buzzing," and part of the reason may be because of head coach Dennis Allen's familiarity with Carr.

Allen was the Raiders' head coach from 2012 to 2014, and he coached Carr in his first four NFL games in 2014 before getting fired following an 0-4 start.

Carr would represent a quarterback upgrade for many teams across the league, but the interest may be tempered until and unless it becomes clear that Carr has some willingness to be flexible with his contract.