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The 2023 NFL Pro Bowl event began on February 2 with a skill competition. The AFC took the early lead with significant help from Derek Carr, who scored 31 points in the precision competition.
In an effort to improve the All-Star game, the NFL decided to hold the Pro Bowl over two days: February 2nd for the skill competition between the NFC and AFC, and February 5th for the 7-on-7 flag tournament.
This was Carr's fourth Pro Bowl invitation in his nine years with the Las Vegas Raiders and he put up an impressive performance.
With all indications pointing to Derek Carr's impending free agency, it felt like an audition for teams to showcase his continued talents as a top quarterback and well-known leadership abilities. He may be the missing piece to lead a team to a championship run.
Derek Carr Says Farewell To Raiders Nation
Derek Carr was benched with two weeks left in the regular season by Las Vegas head coach Josh McDaniels in favor of backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham, while still in contention for the playoffs.
However, McDaniels stated that the decision was due to the team's overall offensive performance and that Carr had played many games, and it was time to see what Stidham could do. As a result, he was made inactive, and the team's practice quarterback was promoted to the backup quarterback.
Carr signed a three-year contract extension for $121.5 million that includes a no-trade clause. This means that the team will have to cut him before February 15th unless Carr waives his no-trade clause. If they don't, the team would have to pay him $40.4 million over the next two years, which is fully guaranteed.
The 31-year-old has stated that he will not be extending his contract deadline. In a statement posted on Twitter, he confirmed his departure from the team. Carr said:
"It breaks my heart I didn't get an opportunity to say goodbye in person,"
He also confirmed that he won't be retiring by saying this.
"I once said that if I'm not a Raider I would rather be at home and I meant that, but I never envisioned it ending this way. That fire burning inside of me to win a championship still rages. A fire no man can extinguish; only God.
"So I look forward to a new city and a new team who, no matter the circumstance, will get everything I have. Winning a championship is what I've always wanted and what I will continue to work towards."
Derek Carr was drafted by the Raiders in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He led the team to the playoffs in the 2016 season but missed the game due to injury. In 2021, he led the Raiders to their second playoff appearance, but they lost to the Cincinnati Bengals.
His career with the Raiders will end after 142 games, starting them all with a 63-79 record. He threw for a total of 35,222 yards and 217 passing touchdowns, but was also sacked 264 times.
