Derek Carr doesn’t owe this Raider Organization Anything
We’ve all had some time to process the fact that Derek Carr was benched and his tenure with the Raiders is coming to an end. The Raiders didn’t win a Super Bowl with him, and his 2022 season so far hasn’t been good. But what Carr has done for this organization has gone underappreciated. He doesn’t owe the Raiders anything, including waiving his no-trade clause.
Let’s start with who the Raiders were before Carr. After their Super Bowl loss in 2002, the team failed to have a winning season. Only twice in that span did they reach above five wins. Between 2002 and 2014 when Carr was drafted, the Raiders went through a quarterback carousel. They had 17 different quarterbacks at that time, and not once did they have one quarterback start the whole season. Besides the Browns, this organization was the clown show of the NFL.
Then Carr was drafted, and he had already turned this franchise around by his third season. 2016 was one that will forever stick with Raider Nation. A 12-4 record led by an MVP-caliber Carr and DPOY winner Khalil Mack. But Christmas Eve, 2016 is when the dream of a title died. Carr broke his leg after a sack, and Raider Nation was forced to watch Brock Osweiler beat them in the Wild Card.
Carr’s mental state was different after the injury, but he had solid seasons. He hit 4,000 passing yards for the first time in 2018 and continued to do so until 2021. His 2021 season was more than a rollercoaster. Filled with adversity, Carr was about 200 passing yards short of 5,000. Carr’s head coach got fired for racist and misogynistic comments. His WR1 and close friend killed someone in a car crash. Yet Carr kept the team together, had one of his best seasons, and led the Raiders to a magical 10-7 record and playoff birth. What other quarterback has the strength to do that?
It isn’t fair to blame Carr for inconsistency when the franchise hasn’t been. Going back to the head coach talk, Carr has had six different head coaches in nine years. That’s six different playbooks, six different coaches to impress, and not to mention the constant roster changes. You can’t tell me Patrick Mahomes would succeed if he was in Carr’s place. This organization is a circus and the new regime needed a scapegoat.
It’s not just the fact they benched him. They sent him home to prevent injury and made him inactive. After all that, and you just send him home? Such a kick in the face. Josh McDaniels and Mark Davis have been blasted before on how they’re ruining this team. Carr didn’t deserve that kind of send-off, and he doesn’t owe the team to waive his no-trade clause.
Lots of teams need quarterbacks, and even more so, proven quarterbacks who can help them win now. Trading Carr could surely net the Raiders a first-round pick, but why would he help them do that? It’s no secret how much Carr loves the organization. Just last year, he said if he wasn’t playing for the Raiders, he wouldn’t play football. Maybe it’s time for Carr to put his money where his mouth is and retire a Raider. Maybe he shouldn’t waive his no-trade clause and force the Raiders to release him. If I were him, that’s exactly what I’d do. Be petty, don’t let them get draft capital out of you. Although Carr loves God and just isn’t that kind of person, I hope he does what’s best for him.
Through the end of time, I’m unfortunately going to stay a Raider fan. But, I want nothing more than for Carr to win a Super Bowl on another team. It would be the biggest middle finger to Davis and the organization, and it’ll prove that Carr was never the problem.
I get it, sometimes it’s time to move on. Carr is almost 32 and things aren’t working. What about the defense, which has never ranked above 20 in the span Carr has been the quarterback? What about the horrendous offensive line that can’t protect him for two seconds? The Raiders failed to address other needs. This team isn’t a QB away from contending. They have a lot of wholes defensively and even offensively until they’re there. So the idea of Tom Brady on the Raiders next year is just stupid. He’s old, washed, and doesn’t belong in the organization.
This is also a waste of a great core. Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow, Josh Jacobs, and Maxx Crosby. All those contract extensions mean nothing now because the Raiders won’t be contending for a while. And now you’ve pissed off Adams, who said one of the reasons he came to the Raiders was because of Carr.
It may take a little bit, but I can’t wait to see Carr prove this organization wrong. The Raiders are going to be bad for a long time, and a lot of fans are delusional. Brady isn’t saving this team, nor is Jimmy Garoppolo or Will Levis. But from a true Raider fan, thank you, Derek. You meant a lot to this organization and you didn’t deserve this. Go ball out on a competent organization.
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