Getty Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders.
The last several years haven’t been good for Derek Carr. He was an MVP candidate in 2016 before breaking his fibula. Even since then, the Las Vegas Raiders have been to the playoffs just once and he’s on his fourth head coach. 2022 was supposed to be the year he finally returned to that 2016 form with the team landing Davante Adams in the offseason.
That hasn’t been the case as the Raiders are out of the playoff race at 2-6 and Carr hasn’t been playing well. Sometimes a fresh start is good for players. Carr has dealt with a lot since getting drafted by the Raiders. The team was bad before he got there and has mostly been bad since he was drafted. Perhaps getting away from the franchise is just what the quarterback needs. The Raiders gave him a contract extension in the offseason but structured it to where they can get out of it if they cut Carr right after the season ends. With things simply not working out in Las Vegas, Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd predicts that the quarterback will be playing for another team in 2023.
“The first reason is Derek Carr’s very good, I’ve defended him for years. Davante Adams is elite, top two or three in the league. Teams tend to keep elite over very good,” Cowherd said on “The Herd.” “The second reason is Derek’s reputation through the years is he kind of plays it safe, and that’s what Davante Adams is saying: ‘He’s playing it safe.’ That’s not good in 2022 NFL.
“The third reason is this current Raiders coach and this current Raiders GM, they didn’t draft Derek Carr … they inherited him. And finally, No. 4 is Derek’s dead cap hit next year is tiny. In fact, if the Raiders move off him by June 1, the Raiders save $30 million.”
Would Raiders Actually Cut Carr Outright?
It’s one thing to suggest that Carr could get traded. If a team in need of a quarterback offers the Raiders a first-round pick, it’s hard to see them turning it down if he’s willing to waive his no-trade clause. However, cutting him outright would be a bold move.
The Raiders don’t have a young quarterback with potential currently on the roster. There aren’t any obvious candidates for veteran quarterbacks to be available in the offseason. There’s a chance they could draft a quarterback but they might not want to start him as a rookie. At most, the Raiders could draft a quarterback with a lot of upside and see if he can develop behind Carr next season.
Disconnect Between Carr & Josh McDaniels?
Head coach Josh McDaniels was very high on Carr heading into the season and praised him any chance he got. There wasn’t an inkling of a quarterback controversy once the coach settled in. However, their collaboration hasn’t been great early on. Carr has hinted multiple times that he’s just doing what he’s told in games. According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, McDaniels and Carr may not be on the same page right now.
“There is obviously a little disconnect between the coach and QB. Carr wasn’t saying that he was ‘doing exactly what Josh wants’ all those times by accident,” Tafur wrote following the loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Carr is more likely to be the fall guy this year than McDaniels so if they aren’t working well together, the chances of the Raiders being in the market for a new quarterback are much higher.