Derek Carr added to AFC roster for Pro Bowl activities in Vegas

QB Derek Carr has been added to the AFC Pro Bowl roster as an alternate due to injury, the league and the Raiders announced Tuesday. The Raiders’ all-time franchise leader in passing yards will seemingly get his Las Vegas send off after all with the Pro Bowl Games set to take place in Vegas this weekend. Although not yet official, Carr’s career with the Raiders is all but over, and he’ll have one final weekend as a Raider at Allegiant Stadium before he takes his career elsewhere this offseason.

Carr’s exit from the Raiders was far from a storybook ending. In fact, it was quite the opposite, as his decline in play over the back half of the 2022 season contributed to a losing season for the Raiders. Carr was ultimately benched for QB Jarrett Stidham for the team’s final two games, and Carr has been away from the team ever since.

It’s an awkward situation for Carr, the Raiders, his teammates and fans alike as he has not yet been officially released. However, Carr will represent the Raiders for Pro Bowl events in his former home stadium, and despite being a late addition, will now likely be the center of attention in some capacity throughout the weekend.

When Carr is ultimately released from the Raiders (The Athletic’s Vic Tafur reported Monday that Carr has not been given permission to seek a trade), there will be demand for the veteran quarterback out of Fresno State. 64 different quarterbacks played in the NFL in 2022, a league record, and with a number of franchises transitioning to new coaching staffs or moving on from incumbent quarterbacks, Carr will find a home somewhere with hopes to jumpstart his career.