Raiders Quarterback Derek Carr Rakes in the Dough with Record NFL Deal

Oakland Raiders quarterback Derrick Carr is one happy dude today after he just agreed to what is reported to be the biggest contract in NFL history.

Carr led the Raider resurgence last season when he posted MVP caliber stats and had the silver and black on track to go deep into the postseason, perhaps even to the Super Bowl.

Then catastrophe struck.

Late in a Christmas Eve home game against the Indianapolis Colts, Carr was sacked and suffered a broken fibula ending his year early.

It was a crushing blow for Oakland, all the more so since the Raiders had a 33-14 lead at the time and were clearly going to win the game, it was a monumental blunder by the coaching staff and the team paid dearly.

The Raiders then went on to play two uninspired games behind backup Matt McGloin and a promising season was reduced to ashes. Normally a 12-4 record is cause for celebration once Carr went down, it was finished.

With the anticipation that Carr will rebound from the injury and once again lead the Raiders to a big season, he signed a deal for $125 million over five years.

According to CBS Sports “Raiders’ Derek Carr signs new five-year deal worth $125 million”:

It’s official: Derek Carr is now the highest-paid player in NFL history. The new deal is worth $125 million over five years, includes $40 million fully guaranteed at signing and $69 million in the first three years, according to CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora.

NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and TheMMQB.com’s Albert Breer first reported the news.  And as promised, Carr also confirms he’s staying with the Raiders.

Carr, a 2014 second-round pick, has been the centerpeice of the Raiders’ turnaround. The team went 3-13 his rookie season, improved to 7-9 in 2015 and was one of the best teams in the league a season ago, finishing 12-4. But Carr suffered a broken leg in Week 16, and the Raiders lost to the Texans in the wild-card game.

The takeaway: Carr is invaluable, reaffirming the theory that an organization is only as good as its franchise quarterback. Not only did Carr complete 64 percent of his passes with 28 touchdowns and just six interceptions last season, but he ranked seventh among all quarterbacks, according to Football Outsiders’ metrics, ahead of Ben Roethlisberger, Matthew Stafford and Andrew Luck.

Those numbers go a long way in explaining the huge pay bump.

Carr’s average yearly salary makes him the highest paid player in the NFL and keeps the Raiders set at quarterback right when they are ready to make their move, perhaps they will even challenge the New England Patriots for AFC supremacy in the near future.

The team will be relocating to Las Vegas for the 2020 season.