Las Vegas Raiders: Is moving on from Derek Carr a real possibility?
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders have gotten subpar play from Derek Carr as of late, but is moving on from him after the season a real possibility?
On the final offensive play of the Las Vegas Raiders loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Eve night, Derek Carr threw an incredibly inaccurate ball to Hunter Renfrow. Renfrow had broken free of the Steelers defense, and an accurate throw would have put the Silver and Black in field goal range with nearly 40 seconds left an a few timeouts.
Instead, Carr threw behind Renfrow, something that happened far too often Saturday night, and the ball was intercepted by the defense. The interception was Carr’s third of the game, and the likely final nail in the coffin of any playoff hopes this season.
The 2022 campaign was supposed to be a successful one for No. 4, as the team brought in his best friend and elite wide receiver Davante Adams in the offseason. While the two of them have had their moments, the wins are not stacking up, and the conversations are roaring as to whether or not the team should move on from him in the offseason.
Raiders may stick with Derek Carr for at least one more season
While it is easy to see Carr’s play the last few weeks and decide to move on, as he is in his ninth year as a starter and makes far too many mistakes both mentally, and physically. He also struggles to play well in the cold, and in a conference where the best teams play in cold weather, can Las Vegas ever go far with him as their quarterback?
Carr has had his faults this season, and many of the losses can be placed on both him and head coach Josh McDaniels. However, the NFL Draft does not have that true No. 1 quarterback this year, and even if it did, the Silver and Black are not going to be drafting high enough to get him.
In free agency, however, the Raiders could make a move from Carr, as guys like Tom Brady and Lamar Jackson would be considered an upgrade by some. If they are looking at a bridge guy before the 2024 NFL Draft, a draft with more QB talent, Daniel Jones, Jimmy Garoppolo, Geno Smith, or even Baker Mayfield could get the job done.
Carr is going to make a lot of money next season, and even if the Raiders do move on from him, he is likely to easily find a starting job elsewhere. He has stated that if he is not a Raider, he is going to not play football anymore, but that will be tested if the team decides they do not want to pay him the $40 million he is due next year.
For Derek Carr, it is more likely he is back in Las Vegas next season, as a rebuild is not coming, and there may not be a better option out there for 2023 when all is said and done.