The Las Vegas Raiders made a shocking decision to bench longtime starting quarterback Derek Carr following their Week 17 loss, moving to 6-9, and eliminating them from playoff contention.
It’s obviously far from the start anyone wanted or envisioned with first-year head coach Josh McDaniels taking over a team that reached the postseason in 2021. After making the moves to add All-Pro talent on both sides of the ball, trading for Davante Adams, signing Chandler Jones, the Raiders were widely viewed not only as a playoff contender, but also possibly a team that could go as far as the Super Bowl.
The wild part is, the Raiders’ offense is scoring more points per game and allowing fewer than last season. Why has Carr suddenly become the fall guy? It’s a curious situation, and the team’s decision to sit Carr down has not sit well with multiple Raiders officials and players withing the organization.
Related: Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis was ‘lukewarm’ on Derek Carr, influenced benching
Longtime Las Vegas Raiders disagree with decision to bench Derek Carr
According to Peter Schrager of FOX Sports, several Raiders players and team officials that were part of the organization even before general manager Dave Ziegler and coach McDaniels took over are upset with how the franchise has handled Derek Carr’s benching.
Basically, like many other Raiders fans, they’re not convinced Carr is the reason for the team’s struggles this season.
In Denver, we’ve seen the Broncos admit their mistake by letting first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett go, despite Russell Wilson performing like a bottom-tier QB. We can’t act like Carr has played at a Pro Bowl level or anything close in 2022, but it’s hard to solely point the finger in his direction at the first sign of struggle.
Why did they add Carr’s pal, Davante Adams, for a first and second round pick if the QB’s leash was so short to begin with? Chances are, this decision likely has much more to do with the fact that team ownership can’t exactly afford to keep paying other head coaches instead, making a Carr cut/trade a much easier decision to cope with, as far as the budget goes.
While this short-term decision could bring long-term results, its clear that the members inside the locker room aren’t happy with their team.
Related: Las Vegas Raiders expected to pursue Derek Carr trade offers this offseason