The future of Raiders quarterback Derek Carr has been the subject of much speculation this offseason, and Carr himself is fueling some of that speculation.
Carr posted on Instagram a picture of himself and former teammate Khalil Mack, now with the Bears. Several media outlets took that as a hint that Carr was hinting as a reunion in Chicago, and wrote about the possibility that the Bears were preparing to trade for Carr as a replacement for the disappointing starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.
But Carr’s brother, former NFL quarterback and current broadcaster David Carr, said on NFL Network that nothing should be read into Derek Carr’s post.
“His son’s favorite movie is Trolls. He’s just having fun. It’s the offseason,” David Carr said of his brother.
Derek Carr may just be trolling, but he may also be sending a subtle message to the Raiders that if they don’t want him some other team will. The Raiders reportedly have interest in signing Tom Brady in free agency, and if they were to do that, Carr would be on the trade block.
The biggest problem with a Bears trade scenario is that Carr has a base salary of $18.9 million this season, and the Bears currently have about $18 million in cap space. The Bears would have a hard time managing their salary cap if they traded for Carr (or any other quarterback who’s earning starter money). So while Carr being traded remains a possibility, a reunion with Mack on the Bears would be hard to pull off.
