Getty Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders.
It’s now been days since Derek Carr was informed that he was being benched in favor of Jarrett Stidham but the Las Vegas Raiders quarterback has yet to say anything. In fact, he won’t even be with the team over the final two weeks so there won’t a chance for the media to speak to him. At some point, he’ll discuss the decision but he’s keeping quiet for now.
Not only did he lose his starting job for the season, but he has also likely played his last game as a Raider. Anything can happen in the coming months but it’s hard to envision a future in which Carr is still in Las Vegas. While he’s not saying anything, he has been on social media. Many fans recently pointed out that he stopped following the Raiders on Instagram. He took things a step further when he removed #RaiderNation from his Instagram bio.
Some have pointed out that Derek Carr stopped following the Raiders on IG. He’s also removed #RaiderNation from his bio
Carr wouldn’t have done that if he believed there was any future with the Raiders. He’s still under contract but a trade or release are seeming inevitable. Carr wouldn’t have removed the Raiders from his social media if he thought there was any chance he was staying.
Never Say Never
Two years ago, the San Francisco 49ers drafted Trey Lance in the first round to replace Jimmy Garoppolo. This past offseason, they gave Lance the starting job and Garoppolo was essentially on borrowed time until they found a trade partner. They never found one, Garoppolo stuck with the team and eventually took over as the starter earlier in the year when Lance got hurt.
The quarterback is hurt now but he played well for the 49ers and led them to a winning record. Perhaps the Raiders go into the offseason hoping to get a first-round pick for Carr but the offer never comes. He could also decide not to waive his no-trade clause and force the Raiders to keep or cut him. If the team doesn’t cut him by February 15, 2023, his contract becomes guaranteed and the team is stuck with him. The Raiders might look at the landscape of available quarterbacks and realize they can’t get better. They could decide to keep Carr as a bridge quarterback, draft a younger quarterback early and let him sit behind the veteran for a year or two.
Will Carr Waive No-Trade Clause?
It’s safe to say that Carr isn’t happy with how this has all gone down. Head coach Josh McDaniels said that the quarterback has been great throughout this process but the fact he hasn’t said anything while removing the Raiders from his social media means that he’s likely unhappy right now. That’s something the team should’ve considered before benching him.
If they’re going to trade him, he has to waive his no-trade clause. Carr could spite the Raiders and simply say that he’s not waiving his no-trade clause and the only thing the team could do is release him. That would give him the chance to pick his next team. The risk in that is that he may not get the same amount of money. However, he could be told by interested teams through back channels that they’ll pay him a similar salary. In that scenario, he has no incentive to help the Raiders out. There will be lots of trade talk about Carr in the coming months but there’s a strong chance that one never materializes.