Las Vegas Raiders: 2022 is (Not) the Year to Move on from Derek Carr
By Alex Perl
Las Vegas Raiders: 2022 is (Not) the Year to Move on from Derek Carr
The State of the Raiders as a Franchise
No franchise in possibly all of sports has been as dysfunctional over the better part of nearly two decades than the Raiders.
With franchise drama and moves that would make even the Cleveland Browns blush, the Las Vegas Raiders have continued to not only submit embarrassing football play but also add bad personnel moves every year. Derek Carr has played for this franchise for eight seasons now and is currently on his eighth head coach in Rich Bisaccia.
Continuity is huge in not only the world but especially in the sports world. In football, with every new coach put in place, a new system and playbook must be learned. The longest-tenured coach Carr had in Jon Gruden was rather successful in terms of wins and losses, and the Raiders improved every season with him at the helm.
Enter the email fiasco which saw the tenure of Gruden end abruptly, and one in which we all are fully aware of now at this point, and the curse of this franchise seems to enter even new heights, which is saying something. It is a wonder Carr continues to even want to lead this franchise considering all of the drama and issues that arise every season it seems.
The Raiders were also not that great before Carr took the helm in 2014. The team had not made the playoffs for eleven straight years before he was drafted, and had a combined record in that time of 53-123. His record of 53-69 does not look so bad compared to what was in place before him, even if it is below .500.
The hiring of Jon Gruden also brought huge changes. After only one season with the head coach, it was decided the team would not only be moving on from the general manager in Reggie Mckenzie who drafted Carr, but it would also be parting ways with Khalil Mack, their only consistent defensive player over a decade (outside of Charles Woodson) who was traded for two first-round picks to the Chicago Bears.
The return in terms of what the Raiders were able to use with these picks has not been very strong either and looks as though the Raiders surely lost this trade.