EXCLUSIVE: Former NFL HC Mike Smith left baffled by Raiders' decision to let go of Derek Carr following $121 million contract extension
Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders seem certain to part ways in the offseason after the quarterback was benched by them for the last two games of the season. It came after many weeks of poor play, especially multiple interceptions that cost them the chance to win games against the Los Angeles Rams and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Las Vegas decided to bench Derek Carr and roll with Jarrett Stidham at quarterback against the San Francisco 49ers, while they were still alive in the playoffs hunt. It was a damning indictment of how far Carr's stock had fallen.
Stidham came and did well and ended with a 108.1 passer rating. Carr, meanwhile, had not touched three figures in the last five weeks prior to his benching. But if interceptions were the issue, Stidham did not pass with flying colors either, throwing for a couple of interceptions in their overtime loss.
However, Mike Smith, former NFL head coach for the Atlanta Falcons, believes that the reason behind Carr's benching is commercial. He also believes that this will set the wrong precedent for future contracts in the NFL and give more power to the teams over the players. Speaking on Sportskeeda's "The BallFather Podcast," he said:
"Reg, they made they made a business decision. It wasn't a skill set decision. In my opinion, it's not a good look for the Raiders. And it's really not a good look for the NFL, but more and more people will be doing that in the future."
He also pointed out that Las Vegas lost games from unbelievable positions, allowing teams back into the game when they should not have. Coupled with Derek Carr's hefty contract, he believes that the Raiders chose to cut ties with him. He said:
You know, when they made this decision, the Raiders were not eliminated from the possibility of making the playoffs. They'd just signed him to $121 million contract for three years. That's 40 million-a-year. What happened in seven months is that they lost games in unbelievable ways... Somehow they must have come to the conclusion that they needed to move on from, Derek Carr."
Will the Las Vegas Raiders give Derek Carr a chance to say goodbye against the Kansas City Chiefs?
If this is indeed a farewell for Derek Carr from the Raiders franchise, fans might want to place on record their gratitude to the quarterback who helmed them during their move from Oakland to Las Vegas.
As part of the discussions that took place over the last few days, both sides concluded that it was best #Raiders QB Derek Carr step away the final two games to avoid the obvious distractions, sources say. He won’t practice and will be listed as “not injury related.”
However, Jarrett Stidham is expected to begin against the Kansas City Chiefs and Carr is not expected to even feature in the squad. It seems like we have seen the last of him with the Raiders.
The latest episode of the BallFather podcast will be out soon. If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Sportskeeda.