NFL Insider REVEALS Raiders thought Derek Carr ‘wasnt tough enough’ to lead the team as the main reason for his firing
The Las Vegas Raiders have leaked the reasons for having cut their long-time quarterback Derek Carr.
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Derek Carr. (IMAGE: USA Today)
The Las Vegas Raiders had one of the most underwhelming seasons in the NFL this year. The team was well-balanced offensively and defensively, however, blame their struggles on the play-calling by Josh McDaniels or the continued inconsistency of quarterback Derek Carr. The team did not click and failed to complement one another’s game. Despite getting Davante Adams this offseason, the Raiders failed miserably this season.
This Sunday, while the rest of the NFL was enjoying watching the Super Bowl, Raiders fans had their priorities set differently. The team’s fanbase was more concerned about the future of the quarterback position for their team. While it was set in stone that Derek Carr was not going to be returning to Vegas, the fanbase hoped for a miracle and hoped that the team would be able to negotiate a trade, ensuring they get something back in return.
While the New Orleans Saints did express interest in Derek Carr, the QB denied wanting to go there and, as a result, that deal fell through. Carr was cut by the Raiders earlier today and it ends his 9-year stint as the team’s starting QB. In these 9-years, he ended up becoming the franchise leader for all-time passing yards, touchdowns, and INTs with 35,222, 217, and 99 respectively.
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The Raiders had lost all faith in holding on to Derek Carr as their franchise QB
The Las Vegas Raiders had to move quickly this weekend. While Carr had requested to be traded, he did not mention to which team. Considering there is not a lot of interest from other teams toward Derek Carr, the Raiders had only two options: cut Derek Carr before Wednesday 1 PM or be liable to pay him another $40 million, which would have been guaranteed from that point forward. Trading him was their preferred option as this way, the team would have been able to get something in return, however, that did not work their way.
Derek Carr’s deal was structured in this manner. GM Dave Ziegler and HC Josh McDaniels decided to hold on to Carr before the commencement of this season. The duo went through the game film from the last 8 seasons and came to the conclusion that they could make this work and shared their opinions with owner Mark Davis. As a result, Carr was offered an extension. The contract had a way out for the Raiders in case things did not go as the team had hoped for them to.
Carr is 31 years old now and teams usually shy away from committing themselves long-term to quarterbacks once they reach their 30s. Derek Carr got a no-trade clause, and the team was able to secure itself from having to pay the QB the entire contract amount if he did not perform well. This February 15th clause saved the Raiders nearly $40 million.
While the Raiders did have an opportunity to trade Carr during the season at the November 1st deadline, HC Josh McDaniels still had hope in his QB. Despite losing badly to the Saints and falling 2-5 on the season, the Raiders hoped that they will be able to get their season back on track. There is also the Davante Adams factor. The best wideout in all of the NFL came to Vegas because of only one man, and that is Derek Carr. Trading him away in the middle of the season would probably not have led to Adams being happy.
The Raiders proceeded to lose two more games to the Jaguars and the Colts, the latter of which has struggled all year. However, after these losses, there was a glimmer of hope as LV won three games straight, but Derek Carr did not look like he was completely satisfied at any point during the season. The Raiders’ 17-16 loss to the Rams was the tipping point for the Raiders as the team moved on from Carr and benched him for the final two games of the season.
While there were talks of the Raiders and Carr working together to find a trade partner, as it would benefit both sides, that ultimately never panned out, as neither side trusted one other to do it. Carr wanted an opportunity to talk with all the teams and see which of them would be willing to restructure his deal before the deadline, however, the Raiders did not feel comfortable with this idea as they were of the opinion that he would just be looking out for his best interests.
With Carr being cut by the Raiders, information has begun to leak out regarding why the team decided to move on from the QB. As per The Athletic‘s Vic Tafur, team insiders revealed that Carr was not tough enough to hang in the pocket or play well in the cold weather. His performance this season did not help his case either.
Derek Carr knew his fate the moment the season ended. “I’ll say this, depending on who the coach was and all those kinds of things, they definitely let me know how they felt. So, although there was speculation. I wasn’t ever too worried about it because I knew where I stood. Now this situation was different, and it is what it is. We’ll both move on, and I think it’s good for everybody,” Carr said at the Pro Bowl weekend.
Hopefully, this split between Carr and the Raiders ends up benefitting both sides. Carr deserves another opportunity to prove himself and the Raiders need a quarterback who they are certain is worthy of being a franchise player.
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Sumedh Joshi
(2258 Articles Published)