Derek Carr’s tenure with the Las Vegas Raiders finally came to an end when the franchise released him after he decided not to waive his no-trade clause.
There were reports of a possible trade to the New Orleans Saints, but Carr blocked a potential deal and now instead hits free agency where he’ll have his fair share of suitors. It’s a bitter end for Carr who spent his first nine seasons with the Raiders, but it was clear down the stretch of the 2022 season that the two sides were bound to part ways.
Carr is a divisive quarterback around the league as he’s certainly a decent quarterback but how far he can take a team remains an open question. Carr supporters would point to all the adversity both on and off the field the team has faced, while detractors will emphasize the times he has come up short in games where Las Vegas needed him.
It appears the split opinions on Carr weren’t just limited to outsiders as there were reportedly some within the Raiders organization that believed he just wasn’t tough enough via Vic Tafur of The Athletic:
“It’s been leaked that Carr wasn’t tough enough to hang in the pocket or play well in cold weather. And he certainly missed some throws this season.”
It’s a two-way street, though, as the new coaching regime under Josh McDaniels didn’t let Carr play as loosely as previous coaches did:
As for the Raiders, they didn’t let Carr operate as freely at the line of scrimmage as he had under Jon Gruden and Rich Bisaccia. And there were communication issues.
The leaks coming out after Carr’s release are unnecessary and only fuel more drama and speculation. Those are things the franchise can do without right now considering how much they’ve had to endure in recent years.
There were high hopes for the Silver and Black coming into the year because of the new weapons on both sides of the field and a new coaching staff, but when the team fell short of expectations most of the blame was placed on Carr. Unfair or not, the organization knew it needed to make some changes and Carr was just a casualty of that.
Whatever someone might think of Carr, there’s no denying that he was an excellent leader in the locker room who managed to hold everyone together despite all the losses. Partnerships eventually run their course, so now the Raiders will be tasked with trying to find a replacement while Carr sifts through his options in free agency.
