Derek Carr may eventually end up with the Saints.
But he won’t get there via a trade.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Carr has informed New Orleans that he won’t approve a trade to the Saints or any other team.
Carr has a no-trade clause and thus has veto power over any deal. The Raiders are expected to release Carr before the $40.4 million in guarantees on his contract kick in on Feb. 15.
Things have long been heading in this direction since the Raiders elected to bench Carr after they were eliminated from playoff contention in December. Carr did not have much — if any — incentive to accept a trade to any team in part because once he’s released, he’ll have the ability to visit with any team about a month before free agency opens in March.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Media noted that Carr’s contract with the $40.4 million guaranteed was an issue despite the Saints and Raiders having the framework of a deal in place. But, again, Carr already had the right to decline any trade, so a deal was always unlikely.
Carr is expected to draw interest from a few teams who are in the market for a veteran quarterback. And he’ll have a head start on the rest of the available quarterbacks.
