Derek Carr is nearly free of the sad-sack Raiders, and thank goodness for that | Opinion

Any moment now, Derek Carr’s nine-year professional marriage to the Las Vegas Raiders will end in divorce.

My two-word analysis: Thank goodness.

The Raiders have little choice but to release Carr by Wednesday’s deadline, officially making him a free agent. It’s either that or pay Carr $40.4 million in guaranteed money over the next two years — an arrangement the Raiders telegraphed they wanted no part of after benching him for the final two games of the regular season.

But don’t shed any tears for the former Fresno State standout. Very rarely do starting-caliber NFL quarterbacks become unrestricted free agents, and when they do they tend to be handsomely compensated. (See Cousins, Kirk.)

By the time free agency begins March 15, Carr will have a number of suitors lined up for his services. Depending on what happens between Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, Carr may even be the top quarterback on the market.

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Regardless, the list of QB-needy teams with playoff aspirations is a lengthy one. Carr could wind up with the New Orleans Saints (with whom he visited but declined to waive his no-trade clause or take a big pay cut), Tennessee Titans, New York Jets, Washington Commanders, Carolina Panthers or Tampa Bay Buccaneers (provided Tom Brady isn’t joshing about retirement). Just to name a few logical landing spots.

No matter where Carr makes his next NFL home — as a free agent the ultimate decision will be his — the 31-year-old will automatically find himself in a better situation than the one he finally escaped.

Why do I say that? Because the Raiders rank among most inept, worst-managed organizations in all of professional sports and have been for two decades. Helmed by an amateurish owner and a revolving door of head coaches and general managers, at least during Carr’s tenure, each less competent than the one they replaced.

(The sole exception was probably Jon Gruden, but his implosion also left the largest crater.)

Only twice in Carr’s nine seasons did the Raiders finish with a winning record and reach the playoffs. His career record as a starter is 63-79. But throughout all those lean years, at least right up until the end, Carr played the loyal soldier. No matter how negative the atmosphere, he remained a font of positivity. To the point where outsiders (i.e. people who don’t know Derek) perceived his relentlessly positive attitude as less than genuine.

As franchise quarterback and unquestioned leader, Carr certainly shares some of blame. Along with team career records for passing yards and touchdowns, his resume includes shaky performances and decisions that left Raiders fans grumbling and scratching their heads. Enough for some to turn against him.

Which is their prerogative. No fan should be happy with such sustained losing.

Except last time I checked, football is a team sport. More than half the game is spent on defense and special teams. And no team during Carr’s tenure has been more dreadful in those aspects.

Since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, the Raiders during Carr’s starts have allowed an average of 26.3 points per game. Carr ranks No. 1 on that list, meaning no quarterback in 52 years has been asked to score more points in order for his team to win.

There’s more: During Carr’s nine seasons, the Raiders never fielded a defense ranked higher than 20th in the NFL. In seven of those years, the defense ranked 24th or lower including 27th in 2022, 26th in 2021 and 30th in 2020.

Perhaps Patrick Mahomes or a younger version of Rodgers could overcome such god-awful circumstances and still lead their teams to postseason success. Carr clearly could not. And if Raiders fans wish to fault Carr for not being as good at quarterback as those two multiple-time league MVPs and future Hall of Famers, that’s plenty fair.

It’s also more than a little ridiculous.

With four Pro Bowls on Carr’s resume, there’s certainly more empirical evidence of his competence as an NFL quarterback than Josh McDaniels’ competence as an NFL head coach or Mark Davis’ as an owner.

That much is irrefutable.

Having first met Derek when he was 10 years old (the kid could throw a tight spiral even back then) and covered his record-setting Fresno State career, I’m certainly a little biased. And certainly more a fan of Carr’s than the sad-sack NFL franchise to which he’s been tethered.

Again, no one should feel the least bit sorry. Carr has been well-compensated for absorbing all those losses and blows, both the physical and social media kind.

Still, it’s been enjoyable to see some of Carr’s old spunk and moxie re-emerge in recent weeks. Like when ESPN’s Ryan Clark asked Carr whether he had ever been “that hot” in Las Vegas after he dominated the Pro Bowl skills competition.

“Not that hot,” Carr replied with a sheepish smile. “That’s probably why I’m going somewhere else.”

Somewhere besides the dysfunctional team that drafted him, and not a moment too soon.