Derek Carr and the Raiders are done negotiating, and have finalized a contract extension that makes the quarterback the highest-paid player in NFL history, according to NFL Media.
The deal is a reported 5-year extension worth $125 million, which pays him about $25 million per year. That deal beats out the previous high given to Colts QB Andrew Luck, who gets paid $24.6 million per year. Following him are Carson Palmer'($24.35 million), Drew Brees ($24.25 million) and Kirk Cousins ($23.9 million).
Carr announced the finalized deal on Twitter with gratitude.
Details within the contract haven’t been announced yet, and it could be interesting to see if Carr backloaded his deal. As ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted, there is no state tax in Nevada, where the Raiders will eventually move. If you compare that with California’s13.3 percent tax rate you can see why Carr might prefer the really big salary numbers to come on the back end of the deal, potentially saving millions.
Either way, Carr will make plenty of money for his services and should be a Raider for a long time. He has certainly proved his worth with back-to-back Pro Bowl selections and a playoff berth last season, even though an injury prevented him from playing in the postseason.
After suffering a broken leg in Week 16, Carr has been cleared to participate in offseason activities, and should be fine for 2017.
