Underhill: I think everyone involved knows Carr cannot play this year at his current salary

There is exactly one reason Carr will agree to a contract that pays him less this year, and that’s if the alternative (cutting him) would likely result in him making less money in the long term. That’s how negotiations work.

He’s not taking a pay cut to help the team’s cap space. He can be restructured (aka kick the can down the road) if the goal is only to reduce his cap hit this year.