Should the Raiders move on from Derek Carr in 2023?

The Las Vegas Raiders have been one of the biggest disappointments of the 2022 NFL season by far. Should the team ownership consider moving on from quarterback Derek Carr in 2022? Carr has been the de-facto leader of the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders since 2014. Carr has led the team through more tumultuous experiences in his 8.5 seasons with the team than most players would experience in a 20+ year career.

Carr has had five head coaches, one of which departed mid-season, the arrest of receiver Henry Ruggs (among other player arrests), the departure of his best defensive player and best friend Khalil Mack, the Antonio Brown meltdown, along with a multitude of very public team issues.

Carr has led the team through all of those events and never lost his composure on the field or in the media. Carr is one of the best leaders in football and there is no argument that could contradict that statement.

Now on the playing field, Carr has set team records for passing and is one of the longest-tenured quarterbacks currently in the NFL. Carr led the team to their first playoff appearance in 2016 breaking the fourteen-year drought.

Carr again led the team to the playoffs in 2021 after a very chaotic season but they were eliminated in the first round against the Cincinnati Bengals. Besides a few Pro Bowl selections that is about the entire list of Carr’s accomplishments on the field during his time with the Raiders.

Carr has been the subject of a string of tireless debates within the team’s fan base, “Raider Nation,” since he failed to bring the Raiders any significant success in almost nine years. Carr has failed to bring the Raiders an AFC West title during his time and his statistics throughout his career are not exactly groundbreaking. Carr has a record of 59-76 as a Raider and has thrown for 204 touchdowns with 90 interceptions. Two trips to the playoffs with zero wins.

It is not all Carr’s fault. Despite being in the league for almost nine seasons Carr never had a true #1 receiver for any significant length of time. Amari Cooper was traded, Antonio Brown was released, Henry Ruggs was arrested, and now that he finally has been given his old college teammate, Davante Adams, the team is still holding a record of 2-6. Carr’s defensive units have also never been elite.

But with all of the excuses for Carr and all the debates for  Carr what is the answer to the Raiders’ losing woes? What kind of quarterback is Derek Carr? The answer is that he is a very capable quarterback. He has been in the MVP conversation in past seasons, Carr ranks #19th in game-winning drives throughout the entire NFL, and despite a 2-6 record he ranks in the top 16 in passing yards and touchdowns. While Carr is capable and an overall good quarterback, he is not elite and likely never will be.

Carr was surrounded this season with elite offensive talent with Davante Adams and running back Josh Jacobs and was still only able to accumulate two wins. With tight end Darren Waller and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow going on injured reserve things continue to look grim.

While the defense has never been elite, Carr has been without top weapons offensively, he is responsible for showing a history of issues regarding his pocket presence, fumbles (48th most in NFL history with 79), and a losing record with zero AFC West wins, let alone playoff wins.

The Raiders signed Carr to a lucrative three-year extension worth up to $121 million dollars prior to the start of the 2022 season. The contract may leave some to believe that the Raiders are obligated to have Carr at the helm until 2026 but the contract presents an out in 2023 with the dead cap at $5.6 million, a very manageable sum for the Raiders’ salary cap.

Why would the Raiders get rid of a top-15 quarterback unless they had another competitive option available? At this rate with the Raiders’ projected record, they may end up with a top 5 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

With a pick that high the Raiders could have several rookie options at quarterback with either Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s CJ Stroud, or even Hendon Hooker from Tennessee. Another criticism consistent with Carr is his lack of evasiveness and refusal to leave the pocket to pick up yards with his legs.

The nature of the NFL now is some of the most competitive teams have a dual-threat quarterback that can punish you on the ground and in the air. Quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray, and Josh Allen can annihilate a team with their rushing ability alone. Several of these rookie quarterbacks have that physical ability and could be available to the Raiders in 2023.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMfJPZwPt98

Removing Derek Carr from the Raider’s roster is a change that brings great risk but could also bring great reward to the franchise. The Raiders are in need of a spark and the front office needs to have a strong offseason to turn this around.

The sports world is already shocked that this Raiders team is so poor considering they have stars on all offense, defense, and even special teams but cannot seem to close the door on most of their matches. The Raiders have already lost three games where they held a lead of 17 points or more, a record that they should be extremely ashamed to hold.

Will changing the quarterback change the direction of the team and finally make them competitive against their AFC West rival Kansas City Chiefs who continue to rise? Can the Raiders become a permanent fixture in the playoffs? It may be time to give it a try.