It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. After failing to live up to expectations in 2022, the decision to bench No. 4 came from the top. The Raiders moved quickly to name Jarrett Stidham as their new starter for the final two games. In Carr’s absence, the Raiders flourished on offense, going up against the NFL’s best defense. In a recent development, it turns out that the Raiders didn’t have much faith in Carr after all.
The Derek Carr and Raiders were headed for divorce for months now
Raiders beat writer Vincent Bonsignore of Las Vegas Review-Journal fame dropped an interesting tidbit. According to him, “the Raiders were determined not to be handcuffed to a quarterback they no longer believed in.” But wait, he says, a quarterback they didn’t believe in? Throughout the highs and lows of this season, it appeared Josh McDaniels had his faith in Carr; he never really threw him under the bus or anything close to that.
The tone did change after the embarrassing loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. As you may recall, McDaniels did point out that the passing game just wasn’t up to snuff this year. Adding further context, Bonsignore said “the Raiders concluded Carr was not a long-term fit within weeks of the start of the season.”
If we’re being honest, it’s a very damning revelation. It shouldn’t affect his trade value, though. If the Raiders lost faith in Carr just weeks into the season, they had their reasons for it. That’s not to say another team, such as the New York Jets, doesn’t still see him as a potential upgrade. The dysfunction and toxicity surrounding the Raiders this past decade have been well documented. That in itself helps to defend Carr from certain blame.
One has to wonder if the Raiders would be singing the same tune if they had sneaked into the playoffs. At this point, it doesn’t seem to matter as the split between Carr and Josh McDaniels is now inevitable.
*Top Photo: NFL.com