A historic Raiders streak will end Sunday
On Sunday, the Las Vegas Raiders will take the field for the first time without Derek Carr under center since Week 5 of the 2017 season, snapping a historic streak for the quarterback.
Carr has started 91 consecutive games, the longest such streak in the NFL by a wide margin. However, when the Raiders host the San Francisco 49ers this weekend, that will come to an end, leaving Josh Allen with the active lead at 70 games.
The Raiders shocked the NFL world earlier this week, deciding to bench Carr for the rest of the season with its playoff hopes fleeting. After learning about the demotion, Carr asked permission to leave the Raiders for the final two games of the season, which the team granted.
Despite agreeing to a three-year, $121.5 million contract only months ago, Raiders' owner Mark Davis reportedly made up his mind about the quarterback long ago.
According to a report from Vic Tafur of The Athletic, Davis had been "lukewarm" on Carr, allegedly leaving the call to keep the nine-year veteran up to general manager Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels in January.
Per ESPN's Dan Graziano, the Raiders have until three days after the Super Bowl to release Carr or owe the quarterback $41.9 million in guaranteed money. Meanwhile, according to Spotrac, releasing Carr before February 15 would cost the Raiders only a $5.6 million cap hit.
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