Getty Josh McDaniels with Derek Carr.
The Las Vegas Raiders allowed former head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler to make the big decision last year to move on from quarterback Derek Carr. However, it didn’t lead to long-term dividends for the two as both were fired during the 2023 season.
Carr, now with the New Orleans Saints, had wanted to spend his whole career with the Raiders and didn’t take the news of his benching and eventual release well. Carr didn’t play well during the 2022 season but it’s clear that the team wasn’t coached well as McDaniels was fired just eight games into the 2023 season.
While Carr could feel like he got the last laugh following, the quarterback took the high road.
“I didn’t need to say anything,” Carr said of the news of McDaniels and Zielger getting fired on the February 2 episode of the “Two G’s in a Pod” podcast. “Things played out the way they played out and we only went 9-8. Yeah, we had a winning record, but we didn’t make the playoffs. So, at the end of the day, who am I to say anything?
“My heart actually felt for [Josh] because I knew his kids and knew his family. I know what it’s like to get released … that crap sucks. … So I felt for Dave and I felt for Josh because one-on-one when you’re with them, they’re not bad people. They’re trying their best. They’re doing their best to do what they think is right … and I get all that. It’s a business. I really didn’t have a feeling of ‘I told you’ or any of that kind of stuff.”
Carr was vindicated as the Raiders were plagued by poor quarterback play in 2023 but it looks like he’s not going to dwell on the past.
Derek Carr Shares How He Reacted to Getting Benched
The Raiders were 6-9 at the time of Derek Carr’s benching during the 2022 season. He wasn’t playing particularly well and the team wanted to give Jarrett Stidham a look. Carr was honest and revealed that he didn’t take the news well.
“I sat there with a pretty dumbfounded face and I said ‘I didn’t think nine years of work would end like this’ and they both said ‘Well, no. We don’t want it to end.’ And I was like ‘No, I think we’re past that,’” Carr said.
“I told Josh [McDaniels] when I was in there. I said ‘Thank you. I appreciate it, guys.’ I think a lot of things, but thank goodness I can keep them in sometimes. In that moment I [didn’t] want to hurt any relationships. I [didn’t] want to say something stupid. You never know what the future holds…”
It was fair to bench Carr considering his poor play last season but the Raiders went about it in a way he clearly wasn’t happy with.
New Ep 🚨 @derekcarr told me and @ambertheoharis what went through his head the night Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler were fired. #TwoGsinaPod #Raiders #RaiderNation #Saints Full Episode👇🏼🎧 t.co/dsCk6YBu0Y
Was Cutting Derek Carr a Mistake?
The Raiders decided to replace Derek Carr with Jimmy Garoppolo, who was benched shortly after Josh McDaniels was fired. Garoppolo will likely get cut this offseason. In hindsight, the Raiders likely would’ve been better off if they kept Carr but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t the right decision at the time to make a change.
The Raiders had reached their ceiling with Carr. While the plan to replace Carr wasn’t well thought out, it was the correct move to move on and not pay him the big money he was due.