Derek Carr Could Actually Get Released by Raiders Before Josh McDaniels

The Las Vegas Raiders were supposed to be a force in the AFC West in 2022. Instead, the Raiders sit at the bottom of their division with a 2-7 record entering Week 11. Unsurprisingly, a lot of the blame is being put on head coach Josh McDaniels' shoulders, especially after Las Vegas was a playoff team last season.

Despite the Raiders' lack of success, don't expect McDaniels to lose his job anytime soon. ESPN's Dan Graziano reports that it's actually more likely that McDaniels remains in Las Vegas for the 2023 NFL season while quarterback Derek Carr takes the fall for this year's shortcomings.

Las Vegas Raiders Rumors

Graziano cites a couple of reasons why McDaniels might stick around while Carr would see the boot. For starters, the ESPN analyst says that Raiders owner Mark Davis is "invested" in his head coach after letting go of the "popular Rich Bisaccia" after the last postseason. At the end of the day, some owners are too proud to admit a mistake.

Secondly, Graziano states that the Raiders could part ways with Carr due to his contract. If Las Vegas cuts the 31-year-old at the end of the season, he'll only carry a $5.625 million dead cap hit in 2023. If he's still on the roster a few days after the Super Bowl, the Raiders must pay him $32.9 million for the year.

Reunited with former Fresno State teammate Davante Adams, Carr was supposed to take his game to the next level. Instead, the former 2014 second-rounder has averaged just 236.4 passing yards per game on a 62.4% completion rate — both his worst since the 2015 season.

As it stands, the Raiders are projected to have the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. With quarterback prospects like C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young and Will Levis available, Las Vegas could give McDaniels a chance to coach one of those names before kicking him to the curb.

Nevertheless, a strong end to the season could also save Carr's job. He's been one of the better quarterbacks in the league before and now it's time for him to show the world what he's made of if he wants to remain a Raider.

Raiders vs Broncos Odds

Only time will tell if the Raiders can get back on track against the rival Denver Broncos this Sunday. For now, FanDuel Sportsbook lists Denver as the 2.5-point home favorite over Las Vegas with -118 odds to cover the spread.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

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