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The Las Vegas Raiders have benched Derek Carr and they can save $40.4 million by cutting or trading the quarterback after the season. Before the 2022 season started, Carr agreed on a three-year, $121.5 million extension with the Raiders.
However, the Raiders put up one interesting clause - Carr's contract for the 2023 and 2024 seasons becomes fully guaranteed three days after the Super Bowl. If the Raiders move on from Carr in those three days after the Super Bowl, they would save $32.9 million in 2023 and $7.5 million in 2024.
Also, the Raiders need Carr to pass up a physical in order to be able to avoid paying him hefty money in 2023. By benching Carr for the remainder of the season and sending him home, the Raiders are minimizing Carr's chances of getting injured.
Carr took the responsibility
Carr hasn't been impressive this season as he has 24 touchdown passes and leads the league with 14 interceptions. After throwing three interceptions in last week's 13-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Carr admitted he didn't do good job.
"When you don't do your best, you let your team down, let the organization and fans down. It breaks your heart. At the end of the day, nobody cares. You get back up and keep going," Carr said after the loss to the Steelers. This week, Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels claimed there is still a chance Carr returns to the Raiders in 2023.
"For us to be able to win at this time of the year and be productive, offensively you have to throw the ball better than what we've thrown at times here in the last month and a half. We've been able to win some in spite of that, overall, but clearly, that's not the goal.
The goal would be to be more productive than what we've been," McDaniels said this week. However, many are not buying it and believe that Carr's tenure with the Raiders has come to an end.