New Derek Carr drama echoes Raiders departure

When quarterback Derek Carr left the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023, he exited as one of the most talented but polarizing players in franchise history.

Some fans look fondly on Carr’s tenure, being the franchise quarterback the team had not had since Rich Gannon, and putting on a spectacular season in 2016. Others might look more at the inconsistency that occurred in later seasons, with Carr's departure from the franchise leaving a bad taste in their mouths. For Raider Nation, it almost feels as though there is no middle ground when it comes to the quarterback.

If recent reports are to be believed, however, the latter camp might be about to receive a serious dose of vindication.

A prominent NFL insider has a different take on recent Carr rumors.

On an episode of the Scoop City podcast, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and former NFL backup quarterback Chase Daniel discussed the currently developing situation on Carr, with Russini believing that the timing makes the matter feel “fishy.”

“From what I can gather, it appears the information got out from the Carr side of it, it was put out by them,” Russini said. “Because I can tell you, I had some conversations with people in New Orleans who were aware of it but they weren’t looking to put it on blast.”

Last week, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport broke a story that Carr was dealing with a shoulder injury that threatened to keep him out of the 2025 season.

Despite the Saints restructuring Carr’s contract, it appears as though the quarterback is unhappy with his standing on the team. By leaking reports of Carr’s injury, as Russini claims, his camp has now effectively spoiled his team’s draft plans and pushed the Saints to make their move. Carr appears to be avoiding a similar situation to Kirk Cousins' last season, when the Atlanta Falcons benched him in favor of first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. midseason.

“Maybe this is Derek Carr looking at the situation going, ‘I don’t want the Kirk Cousins treatment, I don’t want to be your quarterback, you guys draft a young guy, coming in here, and it’s basically, when is he going to play?’ Which makes a quarterback room tense,” Russini added.

If Russini’s take on the matter is accurate, the drama developing between the Saints and Carr is not too different from what the Raiders went through.

Former head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler restructured Carr’s contract early on when they arrived in Las Vegas in 2022, adding a no-trade clause to the deal. However, continuing inconsistencies led to Carr being benched for the final two games of that season in favor of Jarrett Stidham. Carr essentially ghosted the team from that point on, not communicating with the franchise or showing up at team facilities, prompting the Raiders to release the quarterback outright that offseason.

It doesn't look like a pretty picture being painted in New Orleans right now, but it's one the Raiders are all too familiar with.