Oakland Raiders QB Derek Carr finds himself in some very elite company
By Kevin Saito
Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was made a very wealthy man last season, and he now finds himself among some elite company.
The Oakland Raiders had been searching for a franchise quarterback for a long, long time. They hadn’t had one since the days when Rich Gannon was under center – which seems like it was roughly right around the same time fire was being discovered.
But, when the drafted Derek Carr out of Fresno State in 2014, they had a feeling they might have finally filled that franchise quarterback-shaped void. After three solid seasons, the Raiders were sure of it, and rewarded him with a big, fat, five-year, $125 million dollar contract extension last summer.
At the time, the annual $25 million dollar price tag on Carr’s deal was a record for NFL quarterbacks – a market that’s since been reset several times, and is currently being topped by Atlanta’s Matt Ryan with his $30 million dollar per year deal.
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8Still, despite being passed up on the salary chart by a few other quarterbacks and not being the record holder anymore, Carr certainly isn’t hurting for money – and very likely won’t be for the rest of his life. Neither will his kids, most likely.
Although he’s no longer the highest paid player in the NFL, the pile of cash Carr is sitting on has still landed him in some very elite company.
Every year, Forbes puts out its rankings of richest this and richest that, and by virtue of Carr’s 2018 earnings he’s made the cut.
Forbes listed out the Top-100 Wealthiest Entertainers over the last 12 months, and with his $42.1 million in earnings last year – $40 million in football money, another $2 million in endorsements – Carr checked in well within the top-100.
That list is comprised of entertainers of all stripes – music, movies, television, athletes, etc. Topping the list was boxer Floyd Mayweather with a staggering $285 million for the year. Actor George Clooney was second, with $239 million.
Kylie Jenner, Judge Judy Sheindlin (huh?), Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, music group U2, Coldplay, Lionel Messi, Ed Sheeran, and Cristiano Ronaldo (and his horrible statue) round out the top ten.
The first NFL player to make the list is Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan who, at number 29 on the list, pulled in $67.3 over the last twelve months. He’s followed by Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford and his $59.5 million at number 36, and Saints quarterback Drew Brees‘ $42.9 million at number 67.
Carr is the next NFL player to make the list of highest paid entertainers at number 70.
Forbes also put together a list of the Top-100 Wealthiest Athletes, and on that list, Carr did much better. This list ranks athletes from around the world, in all manner of sports – soccer, boxing, football, baseball, etc.
Heading that list, unsurprisingly, is again, Floyd Mayweather. Lionel Messi and his $111 million combined between salary and endorsement money came in second. And Cristiano Ronaldo was third with $108 million in earnings over the last 12 month period.
Conor McGregor, Neymar, LeBron James, Roger Federer, Stephen Curry, Matt Ryan, and Matthew Stafford round out the top ten on the list. Brees and Carr are the next NFL players to make the list at numbers 17 and 19, respectively.
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Suffice it to say, the people on these lists are doing very, very, very well for themselves.
Now, Raiders fans just have to sit back and hope that when next year’s rankings come out, a certain generational talent and walking Hall of Famer who plays on the other side of the ball and is known to terrorize opposing quarterbacks finds his name on that list as well…