Well, that didn’t go according to plan.
Per head coach Josh McDaniels, the Las Vegas Raiders are benching starting quarterback Derek Carr after a disastrous, three interception performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers that sent the Raiders to 6-9 on the year. Jarrett Stidham will take over for the final two games.
Carr leads the league with 14 interceptions on the season (he has 24 touchdowns) and signed a three-year, $120.5 million extension with the Raiders last offseason and had started 91 consecutive games for the franchise. That was the longest active streak in the NFL.
While it’s technically a three-year deal, the guaranteed money was slim. In essence, it was a 1+1+1 deal.
The Raiders can cut Carr for a dead cap hit of just $5.625 million this offseason, and it appears that’s likely where this is heading.
Why now? The Raiders, at 6-9, are just about out of the playoff picture, and if Carr were to get hurt, his 2023 salary of $33 million would be guaranteed. This protects Las Vegas from having to pay that amount, but also means they’ll likely be looking elsewhere at QB next year.
