The Las Vegas Raiders announced this week that veteran quarterback Derek Carr has been benched for Jarrett Stidham for the remainder of the regular season. Carr then informed the Raiders on Wednesday that he will be leaving the team, as not to be a distraction, according to The Athletic.
JUST IN: Not only did the Raiders bench Derek Carr, but he has left the team — with their permission — to avoid being a distraction, a source tells @jeffphowe. pic.twitter.com/9Ha1ZM4gFk
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) December 28, 2022
This is another shocking development amid the disappointing season for both Carr and the Raiders.
Las Vegas reached the playoffs for just the second time in the last 20 seasons last year. They then added former Pro Bowl edge rusher Chandler Jones and All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams. That set expectations sky high in Vegas.
For our Raiders-49ers preview and full Week 17 predictions, listen below:
Jones was placed on injured reserve Wednesday after having a terribly underwhelming season. Adams is among the league leaders in catches and receiving yards, but has had numerous games where he was practically invisible.
Carr, on the other hand, has had a poor season all around. He leads the NFL with 14 interceptions after throwing three more of them in the Raiders' Week 16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Eve. He is completing only 60.8 percent of his passes this season. That's almost eight percentage points less than last year.
The Raiders signed Derek Carr to a three-year, $121 million extension this past April. The contract included a full no-trade clause, putting Las Vegas in a very interesting situation.
Ever since the news of his benching, there have been speculations that Las Vegas is looking to trade the former Pro Bowl quarterback. With that no-trade clause in place, it's Carr who has all of the leverage.
Follow Us
Subscribe