Vegas divorce: Raiders part ways with QB Carr
HENDERSON, Nev. — Quarterback Derek Carr was released by the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday.
The move was expected after Carr was benched for the season’s last two games. The Raiders would have owed him $40.4 million in guaranteed money over the next two years if he had remained on the roster beyond Tuesday.
By releasing Carr, the Raiders’ cap hit will be $5.6 million next season.
“We have a lot of respect for Derek Carr and what he has meant to the Raiders organization for the last nine years,” Raiders coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler said in a statement.
Carr leaves as the Raiders’ career leader in passing yards (35,222) and touchdown passes (217).
Carr’s agent, Tim Younger, tweeted that they wish the Raiders “the best of luck.”
“This is the tough part of this business,” Younger wrote. “That’s the point; it’s just business. Time now to reset for both sides. Derek chooses to hold on to many good memories and friendships, without any ill will.”
Las Vegas tried to work out a trade with the New Orleans Saints, and Carr visited the team last week. He exercised his no-trade clause and turned down the deal Sunday because he didn’t want to take a pay cut, a person with knowledge of the situation said.
Super Bowl ratings third highest ever
Sunday’s Super Bowl was the third most-watched television show in history, with 113.1 million people watching the Kansas City Chiefs rally to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35.
The total includes the broadcasts on Fox and Fox Deportes as well as streaming on Fox and the NFL’s digital sites.
According to Adobe Analytics, this year’s digital feed averaged a Super Bowl-record 7 million streams, an 18 percent increase over last year (6 million) and more than double Fox’s last Super Bowl in 2020 (3.4 million).
The 2015 game between New England and Seattle on NBC holds the record at 114,442,000 viewers (not including streaming), followed by the 2017 matchup on Fox between Atlanta and New England (113,668,000).