Considering that AFC West has Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert, teams who want to win the division can’t get stuck in mediocrity – you have to risk big to win high. That’s what the Raiders need to do starting next year, and among the many necessary moves, the divorce with Derek Carr is perhaps the main one.

First of all, it’s important to make it clear that the Raiders’ breakdowns weren’t Carr’s fault – he’s also a victim of the situation. In 2021, when he was having one of the best years of his career, the departure of Jon Gruden and the dismissal of Henry Ruggs broke an offense that had been performing very well with Carr under center.

What you can’t close your eyes to is that, regardless of any circumstance or reason, the Raiders have never won a playoff game since Derek Carr was drafted – and before 2021, they only have been in the postseason once, in 2016, when he missed a game because of a fractured leg. That was the year he took a production leap and the Raiders won 12 games, but luck wasn’t on his side.

Carr is a good quarterback who will occasionally fluctuate between great and average. He gives you enough chances to win and be a competitive team, despite some of the opportunities he leaves on the field causing frustration for not being taken advantage of. It may not be the best situation for a franchise, but it certainly isn’t the worst.

David Carr shares insight on Derek Carr’s future, talks Rodgers & Bills-Chiefs | NFL | THE HERD

David Carr said on a talk show that Derek wants a commitment from the organization that they will get the pieces required to win all Superbowl. That his brother may not want back if that doesn’t happen. He said he is waiting to see who the GM and HC

When a quarterback is in his eighth season in the league, you’re pretty sure where he can take you and what he is. Although the situations that presented themselves to Carr weren’t always the best, he wasn’t exactly the homeland savior either. When the team needed him to be the superstar – and let’s not forget that an important feature of good quarterbacks is to elevate the squad around them – Carr didn’t helped them enough.

Carr’s contract end must be the relationship’s ending

Carr will be 31 in the 2022 season and will enter his final year of contract with the Raiders. The detail that changes this whole scenario is that there is no dead cap money in case Las Vegas decides to trade or cut the player, fully saving the $19.8 million he will cost the team next year.

This figure is small for a quarterback of Carr’s level, however, it’s hard to believe that he can give the team something different from what he has delivered in the last few years, so there is no reason for this relationship to go beyond the 2021 season, especially considering that new regimes imply new quarterbacks.

The best thing that can happen to the Las Vegas Raiders and Derek Carr in 2022 is that the two sides follow different paths. The Raiders can trade him to a team that gives them good draft capital, rebuilding the franchise’s roster from the recruitment. For Carr, the change of scenario can represent something positive, as Ryan Tannehill did in the Tennessee Titans; in addition, he will certainly have a new contract with his new franchise, delivering him some long-term stability.

The relationship between Carr and the Raiders was never toxic, bad, or unnecessary. just didn’t produce the expected effect. They won’t end the story happily ever after, but they won’t be the type of exes who will speak ill of each other. The two would be better off if they were apart.