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Raiders Rumors: Derek Carr Benched 'in Part' to Avoid Injury For Potential Trade
December 28, 2022
The Las Vegas Raiders reportedly benched quarterback Derek Carr in part because they don't want to risk injury before pursuing a potential trade this offseason.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler provided the details:
Jarrett Stidham will be the Raiders' starting quarterback, and Chase Garbers will back him up, leaving Carr as an inactive player, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The 6-9 Raiders close the regular season with home games against the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs.
Before this season, Carr agreed to a three-year, $121.5 million extension with the Raiders. However, Las Vegas can get out of a lot of money by moving on from Carr. As PFF's Ari Meirov noted, the Raiders would also be on the hook for over $40 million if he can't pass a physical.
Ari Meirov @MySportsUpdateThe <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Raiders?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Raiders</a> would save $29.25M in 2023 salary cap space if they traded or cut Derek Carr. That decision must be made 3 days after the Super Bowl. <a href="https://t.co/KIJxhFaWoi">https://t.co/KIJxhFaWoi</a>
The Raiders appeared to embark on a new era with head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler taking over this year, and expectations were high after the Silver and Black won 10 games and made the playoffs last season.
A decision to stick with Carr appeared to be made, and the Raiders brought in his ex-college teammate and current NFL star wideout Davante Adams to pair with him on offense.
However, this has been a tough season for Carr, whose 14 interceptions lead the NFL. He's also ranked just 25 out of 33 qualifiers in quarterback rating, per Pro Football Reference.
The Raiders also sit with a 6-9 record and have a remote chance at the playoffs at this point.
Las Vegas' problems go far beyond Carr this season, as the team is No. 23 in scoring defense. The Raiders also have struggled mightily in close games, with all but one of their losses occurring by a touchdown or fewer.
Ultimately, the Carr benching appears to be a sign that the Raiders want to move forward, although there could easily be suitors for the 31-year-old Carr, a three-time Pro Bowler who completed 68.7 percent of his passes for 90 touchdowns and just 41 interceptions from 2018-2021.