The Las Vegas Raiders have always been a magnet for drama, and fans truly thought things would be different under Pete Carroll and John Spytek. It has been more of the same, however, as the unappetizing storylines began hitting the press before training camp even began.
Christian Wilkins was released from his four-year, $110 million contract in mid-July after an ongoing saga between him and the front office in regards to his injury rehab. This was unbeknownst to Raider Nation, as this all occurred behind the scenes and shocked fans when it finally came to light.
It seemed like the new regime wouldn’t put up with any kind of negligent behavior, and Wilkins’ stunning release sent a message to the entire team. The only issue was that it seemingly did not resonate with starting linebacker Germaine Pratt.
Raiders release Germaine Pratt in Christian Wilkins-like fashion
Pratt made unflattering headlines this week when he surprisingly did not travel with the team to Indianapolis to take on the Colts due to a non-injury-related reason in Week 5. When asked during Monday’s press conference if he expected Pratt to be back in Week 6, Carroll had a simple response.
“No, he’s been released.”
Pete Carroll on Germaine Pratt
Carroll was subsequently asked if there was a reason for Pratt being released, and of course, the veteran head coach remained tight-lipped about the situation.
“Of course, yeah,” Carroll said. “We just thought it was time to go in a different direction.”
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Once again, Las Vegas has lost a defensive starter due to reasons that Raider Nation will likely never know the full extent of. It is disheartening that the same issues keep plaguing the team year after year, no matter who is in charge. It turns out a lot of players don’t want to wear the Silver and Black.
It is important to contextualize Pratt’s arrival and what it means now that he is gone. He arrived in mid-June after a shocking release from the Cincinnati Bengals, and he was coveted by both the fan base and the new regime in Las Vegas, as the Raiders scooped him up very quickly.
He started each of the team’s first four games and played 225 of their 255 defensive snaps. However, his 56.0 overall Pro Football Focus grade was 14th out of 24 players on the Raiders’ defense, and his run-defense and pass-rush marks were both firmly in the bottom four on the roster.
Pratt was a good tackler when he was in position, and he has always been a solid coverage linebacker. It is easy to look at the first game without him, see a 40-6 loss, and feel like the defense was held together by this player, but that was not the case.
Raider Nation has always harbored a bit of resentment toward Pratt anyway, as he was the Bengals defender who picked off Derek Carr on the goal line in the final seconds of the 2021 Wild Card round, eliminating Las Vegas from the playoffs.
Now, however, he has fallen out of favor with the fan base even more after a below-average stint with the Silver and Black that was cut short by some nefarious circumstances. Expect to see a lot more of Jamal Adams and perhaps even some Cody Lindenberg now that Pratt is out of the building. Onward.
