As of Tuesday, the Derek Carr era was officially over for the Las Vegas Raiders, as they released him.
For a little while, they had hoped to work out a trade involving him and get some assets in return, but nothing happened in that regard.
By releasing him on Tuesday, the Raiders will save a good amount of money and salary cap space, which could make it easier for them to fortify a roster that was surprisingly subpar this season.
Many Raiders fans expected Carr to have a big year, especially with All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams by his side.
But he had a down year, and just prior to Week 16, head coach Josh McDaniels decided to bench him, which started the divorce between Carr and Las Vegas.
Yet, he leaves the team holding several franchise records.
Carr leaves the Raiders as the franchise’s all-time leader in yards, completions and touchdowns.
Carr also finished the 2022 season with the 3rd-highest interception rate (2.8%), the 2nd-lowest red zone completion pct (42%). https://t.co/qf6aUTinLe
—ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 14, 2023
Not too long ago, Carr was one of the NFL’s bright young quarterbacks, as he made the Pro Bowl for three straight years starting with his sophomore campaign in 2015.
In 2016, he even got some consideration and votes for the league MVP award as the Raiders went 12-4, their best record since 2000.
But in Carr’s nine seasons with them, they made the playoffs only twice and never won a single playoff game.
Granted, not all of that was his fault, as he was injured in Las Vegas’ 2016 postseason appearance, but last year, he certainly contributed to its 26-19 loss in the wild-card round to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Now, it will up to the Raiders to somehow find someone who will be an upgrade to Carr and unlock the potential they seem to have on offense.
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Derek Carr’s Agent Comments On His Release