The Las Vegas Raiders have been in a tailspin and now it seems, per reports, that the team could be looking to sit quarterback Derek Carr.
Early in the season, Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders seemed to be one of the surprise teams of the 2021 NFL season. But in a year overflowing with unforeseen and terrible circumstances that led to the team losing head coach Jon Gruden and wide receiver Henry Ruggs III, the wheels have fallen off.
The club now sits at just 6-7 after losing five of their last six games most recently taking a 48-9 beatdown at the hands of the rival Chiefs. And now, it seems as if the franchise might be mulling a change to end the season.
According to a report on CBS Sports Radio, the Raiders are considering benching Derek Carr and giving the QB1 job to former top-two pick Marcus Mariota.
Per CBS Sports Radio just now, Raiders mulling giving Carr a seat and giving Mariota an extended look. Carr has no dead cap money hit next season. It’s the back end of his deal.
— Steve Tannen (@SportsTalk953) December 15, 2021
Raiders mulling benching Derek Carr for Marcus Mariota, per reports
On an extremely superficial level, Carr hasn’t been that bad statistically over the team’s 1-5 skid. He’s completing over 69 percent of his passes for 276.2 yards per game with six total touchdowns and five interceptions.
That’s not lighting the world on fire, but it’s also not the worst thing you’re going to see under center in the NFL these days.
With that said, many of the criticisms about Carr from throughout his career have been evident over that span. Anecdotally, he’s regressed to the guy who will get you a 7-yard completion on third down when the team needs 10 yards. And it’s that type of performance that would lead to this type of decision.
Mariota might not be an upgrade but, with Carr potentially able to be moved this offseason, the Raiders could conceivably try to look at their current options to assess the best course of action moving into 2022 and the future.
