The Las Vegas Raiders are changing things up for the final two weeks of the regular season. On Wednesday, Josh McDaniels announced that Derek Carr would be removed from his role as the starter and will be replaced by backup Jarrett Stidham, according to Adam Schefter.
Raiders are benching Derek Carr and turning to Jarrett Stidham as their new starting QB.
Carr has thrown a league-leading 14 interceptionsâ including three Saturday night during a 13-10 loss to the Steelers.
Stidham has thrown only 61 passes and never has started an NFL game. pic.twitter.com/IJa1LfYGXT
â Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 28, 2022
The move comes on the heels of the Raiders QB leading the NFL with 14 interceptions, including three which came in a humbling Week 16 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Now at 6-9 on the season, the Raiders are making the huge change in order to see what they have in Stidham, who has never started an NFL game in his career.
Despite the acquisition of Davante Adams this offseason and the breakout year they've enjoyed from running back Josh Jacobs, the Raiders have still struggled in 2022. Carr was expected to have a monster season with plenty of weapons to target, such as Adams, Hunter Renfrow, Darren Waller, and even Mack Hollins. Injuries have hindered some of his top receiving threats, but the end product was still not there for Carr in 2022.
This season, Carr has completed just 60.8 percent of his pass attempts for 3,522 yards, 24 touchdowns, and an NFL-worst 14 interceptions. Reuniting him with his longtime friend and former college teammate in Davante Adams has been beneficial, but not to the extent the team had hoped. Adams has 88 receptions, 1,290 yards, and 12 touchdowns in his first season in Las Vegas, all sensational numbers.
Still, the Raiders just haven't been able to finish off games and fend off comebacks. They've blown a plethora of leads throughout the 2022 NFL season and now with the playoffs all but out of the picture, it'll be Jarrett Stidham looking to close the year out on a strong note for the Raiders.
What's next for Derek Carr remains entirely unclear. While he still has three years left on his contract, worth a potential $121.5 million, the more likely outcome is that the Raiders eat a $5.625M dead cap hit and move on from the 31-year-old.
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