The Raiders are done with Derek Carr. They’re sitting him down for the remaining two games, a clear indication that he’ll be moved in the offseason – either traded or simply released. Jarrett Stidham will start the final two games.
Stidham was a fourth-round pick in 2019. He has never started an NFL game, and the passing game presumably will dip some with the quarterback change. With the Raiders playing San Francisco this week, however, they probably weren’t going to put good numbers with either guy at quarterback.
With the Raiders having decided to move on from Carr, the lineup move makes sense. If he were to get hurt in one of the final two games, it would complicate the process of getting rid of him, with 2023 guarantees potentially triggered. He’s now in the same boat as Matt Ryan (who’s been put in bubble wrap by the Colts).
There will be interest in Carr. He’s experienced, and he’s probably still one of the top 25 quarterbacks on the planet. He just hasn’t won enough games. His final throw as a Raider was one of his worst – Hunter Renfrow was wide open on a deep ball that would have put them in position to tie or win the game, but the off-target pass was instead intercepted.
The Raiders will be shopping for a new quarterback in the offseason, and Tom Brady is probably one of the guys they’ll be targeting. He’s worked with Josh McDaniels for years, and Brady could be interested in the team’s pass-catching talent.
Carr has been undermined by lesser supporting casts for years, but he really has no excuses this year. He entered the season with three pass catchers with 100-catch seasons on their resumes: Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller.
And the Raiders have played an easy schedule. The team’s 15 games have come against opponents who’ve gone a combined 85-123-2 in their other games. On paper, it’s been the easiest schedule in the league.
| STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE, WINS (G 1-15) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | T | Pct |
| Las Vegas | 85 | 123 | 2 | .410 |
| San Francisco | 92 | 117 | 1 | .440 |
| Denver | 92 | 116 | 2 | .443 |
| Carolina | 95 | 114 | 1 | .455 |
| LA Chargers | 95 | 113 | 2 | .457 |
| Seattle | 98 | 111 | 1 | .469 |
| Atlanta | 99 | 110 | 1 | .474 |
| Houston | 100 | 108 | 2 | .481 |
| New England | 101 | 109 | 0 | .481 |
| Baltimore | 102 | 107 | 1 | .488 |
| New Orleans | 102 | 107 | 1 | .488 |
| Kansas City | 102 | 106 | 2 | .490 |
| Tennessee | 100 | 104 | 6 | .490 |
| LA Rams | 104 | 106 | 0 | .495 |
| Philadelphia | 102 | 103 | 5 | .498 |
| Jacksonville | 103 | 102 | 5 | .502 |
| Arizona | 106 | 104 | 0 | .505 |
| Indianapolis | 107 | 102 | 1 | .512 |
| Cincinnati | 108 | 102 | 0 | .514 |
| Tampa Bay | 108 | 102 | 0 | .514 |
| Buffalo | 109 | 101 | 0 | .519 |
| Green Bay | 108 | 100 | 2 | .519 |
| Cleveland | 109 | 100 | 1 | .521 |
| Minnesota | 108 | 99 | 3 | .521 |
| NY Jets | 110 | 100 | 0 | .524 |
| Pittsburgh | 111 | 98 | 1 | .531 |
| NY Giants | 111 | 97 | 2 | .533 |
| Chicago | 111 | 96 | 3 | .536 |
| Dallas | 110 | 95 | 5 | .536 |
| Washington | 111 | 96 | 3 | .536 |
| Miami | 115 | 94 | 1 | .550 |
| Detroit | 118 | 90 | 2 | .567 |
—Ian Allan