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Derek Carr entered the 2022 season as the franchise quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders with high hopes of reaching the Super Bowl. Fast forward to now and Carr is expected to be traded or released by the Raiders before the end of February.
So how did it come to this? Examining his 2022 campaign yields some interesting talking points.
It was a rough start for the three-time Pro Bowler. Carr was sacked five times in the Raiders' loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1 while throwing for two touchdowns and three interceptions.
In the team's next two games, Carr threw for a combined 555 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception. He threw for under 200 yards for the first time in the Raiders' first win of the season over the Denver Broncos in Week 4.
From Weeks 5-10, Derek Carr threw for 1,090 yards, seven touchdowns, and an interception. He also completed 63.7 percent of his passes and had a quarterback rating of 96.3.
Carr looked more efficient over the Raiders' next three games (Weeks 11-13), throwing for 852 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions. In Week 11, he threw for a season-high 307 yards along with two touchdowns in the Raiders' victory over the Broncos.
However, the downfall of the former Fresno State Bulldogs star started in Week 14 and he never fully recovered.
In Week 14 versus the Los Angeles Rams, Carr threw for 137 yards and two interceptions in the loss. The quarterback looked promising the following week against the New England Patriots, throwing for 231 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception.
Ultimately, it was the Week 16 matchup versus the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium that proved fatal to Carr's future with the Raiders. In that game, Derek Carr threw for just 174 yards, a touchdown, and three interceptions. It would be the quarterback's final start of the season as head coach Josh McDaniels benched him in favor of Jarett Stidham.
Derek Carr ended his ninth season in the NFL by throwing for 3,522 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. 14 interceptions were tied for the most in the NFL this season and matched his total from last season. This isn't horrific by any means and you get the feeling that if the Raiders had started the season brighter things would have been different.
The real issue isn't just that they failed to make the postseason (which certainly didn't help), but that they lost so many games. They went 6-9 with Derek Carr under center and 0-2 without him. A 6-11 season for a team hyped for a deep playoff run seems to have been too much to handle.
Whether Carr is truly at fault is unclear, but Las Vegas needed someone to blame. With a new QB in the 2023 season, HC Josh McDaniels will likely be in trouble if there aren't swift improvements in Nevada.
Josh McDaniels on the benching of Derek Carr
McDaniels addressed the Raiders quarterback situation and his reasoning for benching Carr in favor of Stidham to reporters. Here's what McDaniels said:
"We're going to go ahead and start Jarrett [Stidham] the last couple games of the season here. You know, none of us is happy with where we're at. But we think it's an opportunity to evaluate a younger player who hasn't had much time to play.
"Talking to Derek, who was great, he understands the scenario that we're in, the situation, and [is] very supportive of the two young guys. ... He'll do anything he can to help them. So, that's what we're going to do."
Derek Carr says goodbye to the Raiders
The 31-year-old said farewell to the Las Vegas Raiders fans and teammates on Instagram. Carr noted how hard it is to say goodbye after nine seasons with the team and his love for the fans and teammates. Here's what he said:
"It breaks my heart I didn't get an opportunity to say goodbye in person. We certainly have been on a roller coaster in our 9 years together.
"From the bottom of my heart, I am so grateful and appreciative of the years of support you gave to my family and me. We had our share of both heart breaking moments and thrilling game winning drives, and it always felt like you were there next to me."
Carr concluded:
"It's especially hard to say goodbye because I can honestly say that I gave you everything I had, every single day, in season, and in the off season. It certainly wasn't perfect, but I hope that I was able to leave you with more than a few great memories as Raider fans."
He'll leave the Raiders franchise as their all-time leader in passing yards (35,222 yards) and touchdowns (217 touchdowns). In 2017, Derek Carr signed a five-year, $125 million contract extension with the Raiders and then a three-year, $121.5 million extension last spring.
He was that taken in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. The Las Vegas Raiders will look to trade arguably their best quarterback in franchise history this upcoming offseason. As to where Derek Carr will play next season, that is a matter of some debate.
