By: Adrian Manguit, EBC Sports International, Florida Bureau
How many championships do you have to win the become the highest-paid player in the NFL? Zero. How many playoff games would you have to win to become the highest-paid player in the NFL? Zero. Do you even have to be ranked within the top 5 quarterbacks by football metrics, experts or pundits? No. Just ask Raider’s quarterback David Carr as he becomes the highest-paid player in National Football League history. Carr will be making $125 million over 5 years, with $40 million guaranteed. David Carr was the second- round pick of the Oakland Raiders in 2014 and the focal point of the franchises recent success.
No one could be happier than Carr as he said, “Now it’s done! From the jump, I wanted to be a Raider for life!” from his personal twitter account.
Despite the undesirable records during his rookie and sophomore seasons, David Carr, Head Coach Jack Del Rio, and the very talented young nucleus of players in Oakland, turned their fortune around in 2016, improving to a season record of 12-4. However, Carr was injured and suffered a broken leg in the last game of the season, causing the Raiders to lose their first game of the playoffs against the Houston Texans. However, Carr did have one of the most successful seasons by a Raider’s QB in recent memory, posting 24 touchdowns with only 6 interceptions and completing 64 percent of his passes.
A humbled Carr response on what he’ll do with his new found riches, “I want the kids to know, I didn’t do this to chase the money. I’m very thankful. This money is going to help a lot of people. Not only in this country, but also around the world.”
So the question is, is he worth it? In 2011, the Philadelphia Eagles gave Michael Vick a $100 million contract over 6 years. In the second year of the contract, Vick ended up with 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in only 10 games played. Vick eventually became the back-up to Nick Foles. Daniel Snyder, the owner of the Washington Redskins, who is infamously known for horrible contracts, was the architect for one of the worst contracts in NFL history, as he took care of Albert Haynesworth’s family for generations to come. Haynesworth was a very dominant defensive tackle who had a pro-bowl type of season in 2008 for the Tennessee Titans. Snyder offered Haynesworth a 7-year $100 million contract in 2009, with $41 million guaranteed, which was unheard of for a defensive tackle at that time. Haynesworth never lived up to the hype or the money and was eventually traded and out of football by 2011.
One thing is for sure, the Oakland Raiders have made it known that David Carr is their quarterback of the future. Which can’t be said for some other teams like the Washington Redskins and their quarterback contract drama with Kirk Cousins. Carr has demonstrated that he can be successful in the league and was able to lead his team into the playoffs last year, so there is no denying his talent or potential. It looks like the Raiders are taking on the persona of their new home of Las Vegas, where they will be relocated in 2019, as they go “All in” with David Carr.