The Oakland Raiders are about to make 2014 second-round draft pick Derek Carr one of the highest paid quarterbacks in the NFL.
With extensions on the horizon for the Vikings’ Sam Bradford and/or Teddy Bridgewater, both QBs must be pleased with what they are seeing shape up as the going rate for a franchise quarterback in the NFL’s growing market.
Derek Carr was selected four picks later than Bridgewater in 2014, but according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, he will surpass both the starting and the rehabbing Vikings quarterbacks on the pay-scale as early as Wednesday afternoon.
Andrew Luck $24.6 million average annual salary.
Carson Palmer $24.35M.
Drew Brees’ $24.25M
Kirk Cousins’ $23.9M.
Derek Carr at or near top.— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 21, 2017
Raiders and Derek Carr are close to finalizing a deal expected to pay their quarterback about $25 million per year, per league sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 21, 2017
Both Bradford and Bridgewater have just one year left on their current contracts with Minnesota.
Sam Bradford has a base salary of $14 million in 2017, while Bridgewater is still on his rookie contract and set to earn $1.3 million in the upcoming season.
If the looming Derek Carr deal is any indication for what the going rate for a franchise quarterback will be, Vikings GM Rick Spielman has a very tough decision to make when it comes to paying his own signal-callers.
If you want to keep Bradford happy, do you pay him before the start of next season? On the other hand, you don’t know how Teddy Bridgewater’s rehabilitated knee will look in the coming months. What if he is healthy enough to play sooner rather than later?
It’s a conundrum that Spielman will be forced to deal with as the offseason comes to a close.
As much as the Vikings GM may like to please both of his top passers, he won’t be able to dole out two separate $25 million deals.
Alas, either Bradford or Bridgewater will probably be looking for work somewhere else next season.
