The Raiders’ season is over after a gut-wrenching, mistake-filled, sometimes controversial seven-point loss to the Bengals in last night’s wildcard game. The contest ended with a Derek Carr interception on a fourth-and-goal throw that came up several yards short of the endzone, and it’s fair to wonder whether that was Carr’s last pass in silver-and-black.
Team owner Mark Davis was clear that he was not going to begin thinking about 2022 and beyond until the Raiders’ 2021 campaign had come to an end, but now that it has, he has some catching up to do in terms of his search for a permanent head coach (and, perhaps, for a new general manager). No club in need of a new HC or GM has actually hired one just yet, but interviews have gotten underway, and Davis plans for his search to be thorough and legitimate.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says that Carr’s future in Las Vegas will be tied to the club’s head coach hire, and he classifies the Raiders’ QB decision as a “mutual” one. The implication is that the head coach and Carr — who stated this summer that he would rather quit football than play for another team — will both have a say in the matter.
Carr has certainly earned that right. While interim head coach Rich Bisaccia has received much-deserved credit for keeping the team together in the wake of the Jon Gruden fiasco, the Henry Ruggs tragedy, and other assorted on-field and off-field difficulties, Rapoport points out that Carr was also instrumental in rallying the troops through the turmoil and closing the regular season on a four-game winning streak. And while Carr’s name has frequently popped up in trade rumors due to his generally strong-but-not-elite play, he has finished in the top-10 in QB rating in two of the past three seasons.
On the other hand, his two turnovers in last night’s playoff loss — including a fumble and the game-ending interception that for some reason was thrown short of the goal line — was emblematic of a season in which he threw for a career-high 14 picks and fumbled a career-high 13 times. In his eight-year career, he has totaled double-digit fumbles five times and has twice led the league in that category. His 57-70 record also leaves much to be desired.
Carr, who will turn 31 in March, has one season remaining on the five-year, $125MM extension he signed in 2017. That $25MM AAV is now a middle-class figure for QBs, and in Rapoport’s estimation, Carr will be in line for a top-of-the-market extension. Rapoport reiterates that GM Mike Mayock‘s job is not necessarily safe, and whoever ends up as the Raiders’ general manager will obviously have a significant say in Carr’s contract and his status with the team as well. If Las Vegas and Carr agree to seek a trade, RapSheet names the Saints, Texans, and Colts as potential landing spots.
For what it’s worth, Carr said in last night’s postgame presser that Bisaccia is the “right guy” for the HC job, and Dan Graziano of ESPN.com suggests that the glowing way in which Raiders players talk about Bisaccia is different than the usual player-speak (Twitter link). Though Bisaccia may not be the favorite, he has given Davis something to seriously consider despite the early playoff exit.
In my the end, it’s about winning. Still, I think the Raiders have the pieces to be competitive again next season without so much scandals. Why broke what is not broken?
Players they do have despite losing several top pics this past year. BUT……something was a miss? They looked sloppy last night? They sure didn’t look like a top team. Burrough clearly outshinned Carr with ease. So they were outplayed as a whole, out coached and sent home. No need to blow it up. Just get back to work!
Not sure how they were outcoached but clearly, missing guys in the secondary against a QB like Burrow hurt, as did the failure to get a consistent pass rush on him.
You can’t blame the Carr fumble on Carr himself. Trying to block a DE with a TE is an offensive line breakdown.
I’m always curious as to why I never see Pittsburgh in these rumors, they have a need at QB just as much as other teams, and a lot of writers from jay glazer (who is a good friend of Tomlins ) Albert Breer, Schefter who have also said Pittsburgh will be more than likely in the hunt for a “established” QB. Not to mention other than a OLine that needs fixed, they have the most cap room and of the best franchises, who wouldn’t wanna play ther.
Yeah, we have heard pipe dreams like Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson. We have heard Mariotta and Jimmy G. And really, Carr makes the most sense. But the Steelers management who are drunk on the idea of “The Steelers Way”. Whether it’s QB, a shaky secondary or a LB who can compliment Watt, I’m sure they’ll do little. (Even they see the need to address this awful o-line)
How does one come to the conclusion that Carr is in line for a top of the market extension? I’d probably offer him a contract identical to his last one.
Carr is at the very top of the second tier of QBs. He is who he is at this point in time. There are 8-10 QBs better than him and I don’t know that any of them are available without gutting whatever assets the raiders do have. With improved line play and a go to receiver, Carr can play at 2016 levels. I don’t think Wilson or Rodgers made this team as currently constructed (with the distractions they had) more than 1 win better this year.
Adding Rodgers would most likely drastically change this team. Carr is good but Rodgers is arguably the best qb in the league right now. He’s at least top 3. I don’t see how Rodgers distractions effect his play, he seems to be doing just fine in GB this year.
Rodgers or tie between him and Brady.
Carr is a good bit not close to great QB.
Hire their interim guy. He was over .500 (barely but was). It always works out well when an team hires a guy from the inside that no one else in the league woild hire for the same position. Jim Tomsula was great. The Lions when they hired their DL coach etc. Long history of these things working out great.
Freddie Kitchens?
Bill Parcells was an internal HC hire by the Giants that resulted in a pair of championships.
Exceptions from 35 years old ago kinda prove the rule.
History is littered with teams who were already out of it, with the pressure off, who play well under an interim only to be lousy again next year when they are expected to win again.
Well, Mayock is out. I’m sure Mark Davis will get it right-this time…