3 Raiders Players Earning Contract Extensions in 2021

A tumultuous season for the Las Vegas Raiders continued Tuesday with the news that wide receiver Henry Ruggs III had been charged in the early hours with DUI resulting in death, a felony in Nevada. 

The police report said a 23-year-old woman was killed after Ruggs crashed his vehicle into the back of the woman's car, causing it to set on fire. Ruggs was said to have shown visible signs of impairment at the scene of the crash.

Ruggs was released by the team later on Tuesday and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

This comes after Jon Gruden, the team's former head coach, resigned during the season following the release of multiple emails showing him using racist, homophobic and sexist language from 2010 through 2018.

Despite the terrible circumstances of Tuesday's news, the NFL world continues to spin, and the Raiders sit at 5-2 ahead of a road game Sunday against the New York Giants.

Several players have impressed for the team this season, and attention will soon turn to some of those players' futures with the team.

Quarterback Derek Carr has performed well under pressure as the face of the Las Vegas Raiders franchise. 

For years, Carr's job security came under speculation because of how the Raiders ended seasons and the names that were on the free-agent, trade and draft markets. 

Carr's job security lessened a bit ahead of the 2020 season after the Raiders signed Marcus Mariota to a two-year contract, but the 2014 second-round pick has done nothing but impress since the franchise moved to Las Vegas. As a result of his strong play, he is due for a contract extension that keeps him as the No. 1 quarterback for at least a few more years. 

Carr is one of a few Las Vegas players with contracts that end after the 2022 season who deserve extensions either now or in the offseason. 

Carr is currently in the second-to-last year of his contract with the Raiders. 

The team's No. 1 quarterback is scheduled to make $19.7 million during the 2022 campaign, which is a slight increase from his $19.5 million base salary this season. 

Carr should have proved to the Raiders by now that he is worth locking down for at least a few more years. He is 30 years old and should have a few more strong seasons in him. 

In seven games this season, Carr has thrown for 2,269 yards and 12 touchdowns, and he made the best of his injury situations in recent weeks. He beat the Philadelphia Eagles without Darren Waller in the lineup, with Foster Moreau and Hunter Renfrow stepping up in that victory. 

Carr is on pace for his fourth consecutive 4,000-yard passing season, and he is on track for his third season in a row with 20-plus passing touchdowns. 

The 30-year-old brought stability to the position over the last few years, and he deserves to be rewarded for that.

Las Vegas does not need to hand out another five-year deal to Carr, but it would make sense to extend him for two or three seasons so that the franchise does not lose him in free agency after the 2022 campaign. 

Hunter Renfrow thrived in Las Vegas by featuring in a similar role that earned him a ton of success at Clemson.

Renfrow is Carr's go-to wide receiver in third down and red-zone situations. He is now the team's leading receiver after Ruggs was released on Tuesday night. 

Renfrow is currently in the third year of his four-year rookie deal. He is making an $850,000 base salary for the 2021 campaign.

The third-year wideout has outperformed his value in three seasons, and he is poised for a much bigger role in the second half of the regular season. 

Renfrow should break the single-season career high in receiving yards he set last season. He needs 258 yards to eclipse that mark. He is also in line to break his single-season touchdown mark. He is halfway to his current high of four that was set in his rookie season. 

Las Vegas can't afford Renfrow to hit free agency after next season, so it should give him a sweet extension that keeps him around for at least three more years. 

No one on the Las Vegas roster deserves a larger contract based on his production in 2021 than Maxx Crosby.

The third-year defensive end has 19 quarterback hits, five sacks and four tackles for loss through seven games. 

Crosby has been one of the best edge-rushers in the NFL so far this season. If his play keeps up, he should force Las Vegas' hand into a new deal.

Like Renfrow, Crosby is in the third year of his rookie deal. He is scheduled to make $850,000 this season and he has a slight increase coming next season. 

If Crosby continues to play at his current rate, he may have a ton of suitors lined up to sign him next offseason if the Raiders do not extend him. 

As long as Crosby's high level of play keeps up for the rest of 2021, the Raiders should get a new deal done with him in the offseason to make him one of the cornerstones of the defense. 

Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.

Contract information obtained from Spotrac.