Though unlikely to make the 2022 NFL playoffs, the Raiders are not mathematically eliminated from contention entering Week 17 against the 49ers. Even so, coach Josh McDaniels is making a change at quarterback, announcing Wednesday that Derek Carr has been benched for backup Jarrett Stidham for the remainder of the year. McDaniels left the door open for a QB swap after Week 16’s narrow loss to the Steelers, and now it’s official: Carr is out as Las Vegas’ signal-caller, and perhaps for good.
“We think it’s an opportunity to evaluate a younger player who hasn’t had much time to play,” McDaniels told reporters. “Talking to Derek, who was great, he understands the scenario that we’re in (and is) very supportive. … There’s a lot to be sorted through once the season’s over.”
Per NFL Media, Carr will step away for the final two games of the regular season to avoid distractions. He will not practice, and will be listed as “not injury related.”
A three-time Pro Bowler who has thrown for 3,522 yards, 24 touchdowns and 14 interceptions this year, Carr had started started 91 consecutive games for the Raiders, the longest active streak by any QB in the NFL. The veteran just this offseason signed a three-year, $121.5 million extension tying him to Las Vegas through 2025, and was a catalyst for the team’s blockbuster acquisition of wide receiver Davante Adams. But he’s been less efficient than usual under McDaniels, struggling to elevate a mercurial offense, and finish games in which Las Vegas has led, during a 6-9 start.
Stidham, 26, was acquired in a swap of draft picks with the Patriots, McDaniels’ former team, this spring. A fourth-round pick of New England in 2019, he’s spent all four of his NFL seasons under McDaniels, appearing in eight games with the Pats. While he doesn’t necessarily project as the Raiders’ QB beyond 2022, it’s fair to say the same about his predecessor.
Despite his lucrative new deal, Carr, 31, can be released or traded without financial penalty after the season, instantly saving the Raiders approximately $30M. The safe bet, now that he’s been pulled from the lineup after less than a full year as McDaniels’ QB1, is that Las Vegas will, in fact, part ways with the former second-round pick this offseason. Carr has been at least an average starter for much of his career, often drawing high marks for his leadership amid multiple regime changes, but he’s also logged just a single playoff appearance in almost a decade in silver and black.
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In the event the Raiders explore an upgrade, with current Buccaneers QB and longtime McDaniels partner Tom Brady among the splashiest possibilities, where might Carr end up in 2023? Keeping in mind that the veteran has a no-trade clause that could allow him to control his fate, here’s an early rundown of logical suitors: