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The Las Vegas Raiders 2022 season has been a major disappointment, but this team just continues to find new ways to upset their fans. Just when you thought the suffering was coming to a close, salt was rubbed in sore wounds on Wednesday afternoon when it was announced that the Raiders would be benching their starting quarterback Derek Carr for the final two games of the season.
This move came as a massive shock across the NFL. Sure, the Raiders and Carr have not been good this season, but they still have a remote shot at earning a playoff spot over the final two weeks of the season. By sending Carr to the bench, those dwindling playoff hopes have officially been crushed.
Beyond that, Carr is supposedly the Raiders franchise quarterback. And in the blink of an eye, he has been completely ostracized by his team. This is a very impactful move beyond the two final games of the season, and it looks like Las Vegas is done with Carr. But in the process, they managed to do their quarterback dirty after one season where everything went wrong for them.
The Raiders did Derek Carr dirty
There's no sense in beating around the bush by saying that Derek Carr has been a disappointment this season. Despite getting a shiny new top target in Davante Adams, Carr's numbers have noticeably regressed from the 2021 season (305/502, 3522 YDS, 24 TD, 14 INT). He will come up over 1000 yards short of where he finished last season in terms of passing yards, and his 14 interceptions currently lead the league.
Carr has been a big reason for the Raiders offensive struggles this season. His accuracy has been poor all season long, he can't seem to get on the same page with his pass catchers consistently, and he makes big mistakes at the worst possible times. There have been instances where we have seen flashes of Carr's skill, but they have been very fleeting.
With that being said, the Raiders lost season isn't all on him. Josh McDaniels has done a horrible job in his first year as head coach, and he should shoulder the majority of Las Vegas' offensive woes. The Raiders have also been injured constantly, and only recently have had their full complement of pass catchers available. Even then, it hasn't really mattered, because the offense still looks lost.
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Given how good Carr was in 2021, when he led a beat up Raiders team to the playoffs, it was fair to expect him to improve this season with the addition of Adams. But Carr has never seemed to fully grasp McDaniels' system, which is understandable. It takes time to adjust to new terminology and playcalling strategies in the NFL; the Raiders aren't the only example of that this season.
But by benching Carr for the final two games, the Raiders have given up on Carr. As previously mentioned, their playoff hopes aren't even extinguished, although they likely will be regardless of what happens over their final two games of the season. Beyond how Carr feels, that's bound to make a locker room full of competitors upset.
Carr also just signed a massive three-year, $121.5 million extension last offseason, but the Raiders admittedly played their hand well by making sure there was no guaranteed money on the deal after the 2022 season. Carr's deal only has a $5.6 million dead cap hit if he isn't with the team next season, which is a pretty low total considering all the money associated with the contract.
But after just 15 games, the Raiders have decided that Carr isn't the guy to lead them forward. In some sense, it's better to get ahead of all the hate the move will get by doing it now, but it's also just made the Raiders current situation ten times messier. Even if Carr understands the decision, which he likely doesn't, how do you explain this to the rest of the team?
Las Vegas assembled a team around Carr that was designed to make his life easier. And while he didn't necessarily help himself out, he didn't get much help from the rest of his team. And now, that team is being taken away from him as the Raiders likely will begin to plan the best way to move on from Carr, and who will replace him.
The Raiders pulled the rug out from underneath Carr in a situation that wasn't totally in his control. It would be one thing if the Raiders were getting blown out, but Carr has largely kept them competitive this season. Granted, that's not going to win a championship, but the point remains; Las Vegas did Carr dirty, and they better have a plan to replace him at quarterback, because there are a lot of folks who aren't happy with this outcome.
