Raiders To Focus On Carr’s Deal Before Mack’s

The Raiders are under the CBA-mandated minimum expenditure over the past four-year period. However, the Raiders have a few good ideas for how they can spend that cash, including new deals for quarterback Derek Carr and star linebacker Khalil Mack. The Raiders are currently expected to focus on signing Carr before Mack, a source familiar with the situation tells Mike Florio of PFTDerek Carr/Khalil Mack (vertical)

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One might think the Raiders are prioritizing Carr because he plays a more important position, but the real reason is that the Raiders hold a fifth-year option on Mack because he is a first-round pick. As a former second-round choice, Carr has only one year left on his rookie deal. Without a new contract, the Raiders would be forced to use the expensive franchise tag to keep Carr away from free agency after the 2017 season.

It will be interesting to see what kind of deal Carr will look for from Oakland. Kirk Cousins, who is considered to be an above-average quarterback and will be 29 next season, is said to be seeking nearly $24MM/year on his next deal. Carr, meanwhile, doesn’t turn 26 until March and has been outplaying Cousins by just about every metric this season.

Mack, meanwhile, is having a monster season of his own with ten sacks and 58 total tackles through 12 games. The Raiders, ideally, would like to lock up both players before they get anywhere near the open market.

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