Raiders mailbag: Will Derek Carr get cut after this season?

The Raiders are 0-2 after losing in overtime to the Cardinals on Sunday. Fans are getting antsy and have a number of questions before Sunday’s game at the Tennessee Titans.

Here is a sampling of what arrived in this week’s mailbag:

Bisp H (@NotUrUPS_Man): Do you think the Raiders cut Derek Carr after this season because he has been so horrendous? Isn’t only this year guaranteed?

Vincent Bonsignore: Carr hasn’t been great in the first two games, but he has a better chance to play good football the rest of the way than he does to play so bad that the Raiders would entertain the thought of cutting him. It’s a long season, the Raiders are still adjusting to a new offense, and there is too much talent surrounding him to expect the struggles to continue.

That said, the Raiders have an out after this season, but it would require some fast action, as his 2023 salary of $32.9 million and $7.5 million of his 2024 salary become fully guaranteed Feb. 15 — one day after the Super Bowl. Also, that $40 million is injury guaranteed in case Carr gets hurt during the 2022 season.

Theoretically, the Raiders pretty much can walk away from the remaining balance of Carr’s contract after this year. If they choose to move on from him before the February deadline, they would incur a $5.1 million dead cap hit but be completely out from under that deal.

That feels like a last resort option at this point. The Raiders and Carr expect to get things straightened out and move forward together. But without question, the Raiders created flexibility in structuring the contract.

Paisas For Stevenson (@JAG_805): Will we finally win one?

VB: I assume this question refers to Sunday’s game against the Titans. If so, the combination of the Raiders’ urgency and injuries and flawed play from Tennessee will put the Raiders in good position for a win.

Raider James (@RaiderJB3): Is Chandler Jones a bust?

VB: Obviously Jones has not gotten off to the start that he or the Raiders anticipated, though his performance against the Cardinals was more the result of how he was asked to rush Kyler Murray than an indication of where Jones is as a player. But with the Raiders playing a much less mobile and dynamic quarterback this week in Ryan Tannehill, one would assume Jones will be deployed as a more traditional pass rusher.

To answer the question, two games is too soon to write off such a great player as a bust.

Ali8000 (@aliachttausend): Why didn’t Josh McDaniels just kick the field goal in overtime? They just had to kick it for the win with Daniel Carlson. So why even try a pass to Hunter Renfrow?

VB: The Raiders were at the Cardinals’ 39-yard-line, facing a second-and-10, on the play in question. A field-goal attempt would have represented Carlson’s career high, or 56 yards. With two downs to play with, the Raiders hoped to reduce that distance to make the kick easier for Carlson. The second-down play was a high percentage quick throw to Renfrow.

Your point is valid. But so, too, is trying to create a little more wiggle room for your kicker. The last thing you expect is for the dependable Renfrow to lose the ball and the Cardinals to return the fumble for a touchdown.

Randall Patton (@Ghostraider70s): What is the mood of the locker room? A loss like last week’s can linger and haunt a team for weeks.

VB: Sense of urgency but no panic.

Alexander Soto Sr. (@contractoralex_): Why wait until after Week 2 to make an offensive line move? It has been an area of massive concern since the offseason.

VB: Always remember when it comes to trades, it takes two to tango. It would be presumptuous to think the Raiders haven’t been trying to swing deals to upgrade their offensive line.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.