The Raiders have a hard deadline of Feb. 15 by which to agree to a Derek Carr trade or be forced to pay him $40.4 million in guaranteed salary.
The team's long-term starting quarterback isn't willing to help Las Vegas change that.
Carr was asked at the Pro Bowl whether he would consider extending that deadline beyond the Feb. 15 date to try to help the Raiders facilitate a trade.
"I don't think that would be best for me," Carr told ESPN in response.
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Indeed, an extension of that deadline would largely stand to benefit the Raiders. It would give them more time to find a potential trade suitor to avoid releasing Carr outright. That would give Las Vegas a better chance of recouping assets for Carr instead of losing him for nothing.
In exchange, Carr would receive a chance that another NFL team would be willing to acquire his bloated, three-year, $121.5 million contract. However, he would be making some serious concessions in doing that.
If the Raiders fail to deal Carr by Feb. 15, then he stands to either get the $40.4 million in guarantees or be released, which would allow him to pick his next team. Both should be appealing scenarios for the veteran quarterback.
It's also not guaranteed that extending his contract deadline would result in a trade. Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports that teams are waiting for Carr to be released because they know that the Raiders will be hard-pressed to find a suitor to take on Carr's contract.
Quarterback-needy teams believe a release is the more likely scenario. The Raiders have very little leverage because Carr has a no-trade clause, and interested teams believe they can sign Carr for a more favorable contract than the one they’d have to trade to inherit.
So, for Carr, an extension could just result in a longer wait for the same outcome. Certainly, that's not an appealing process, especially since he has a chance to pick where he plays for the first time in his NFL career.
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Carr also noted that he hadn't received permission from the Raiders to seek out trade partners with his representation. That makes it less likely for a deal to come to fruition.
"That's for [the Raiders] to talk about," Carr told ESPN of the team's refusal to allow him to seek out trade partners. "I'm just obeying the rules. If it gets to the date [and I get released], then I'll be able to talk to all my friends."
Carr also noted that he would use his no-trade clause to block a deal if necessary. That will further complicate the Raiders' efforts to trade him without allowing Carr to seek out potential trades himself.
So, why are the Raiders blocking Carr from doing that? ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio explained that Las Vegas is likely protecting itself from Carr and another club reaching "a wink-nod understanding that Carr will tell the Raiders he won’t waive his no-trade clause." That would force the Raiders to release him and give.
Of course, Carr could do that even without talking to other clubs; that would guarantee that he gets to choose his new team. So, perhaps the Raiders' concerns about allowing him to talk to other teams are unwarranted.
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Either way, Carr is hoping that he and the Raiders will reach a resolution quickly. He believes it would be best for the two sides to move on with a split between the two already predetermined.
"I was talking to Peyton [Manning] about it today," Carr said. "When he was released [from the Colts], he's like, 'Man, it was kind of surreal in the moment. You're like, wow. You can't even believe it.'
"But then you just go to the next place and you move on. You do your best there. And it's nice to hear that from someone who, I think, is the best. ... He is someone I've always looked up to."