Derek Carr is in New Orleans. Darren Waller is in New York. And the Las Vegas Raiders are planning to trot out Jimmy Garoppolo. 

It has been an offseason of change for the franchise that had a stable starting quarterback and sure-bet tight end this time in 2022. But as head coach Josh McDaniels continues to build the Raiders roster in his image, he finally broke his silence on the hard goodbyes — and yes they apparently were hard — that took place earlier in the offseason. 

“Those decisions weren’t easy to come by,” McDaniels admitted to NFL Network’s Steve Wyche.

McDaniels described the moves as gaining a "better idea of what you need to do going forward.”

It was clear that things had stagnated for the Raiders. Though Carr was productive, and in his departure fell on his sword like a king about to be captured in battle, Waller was often injured and unceremoniously average when he played in 2022. 

Waller finished the 2022 season with a mere 28 receptions for 388 yards and three touchdowns. A far cry from his production in the late 2010s. 

And in a recent interview by Tashan Reed of The Athletic, general manager Dave Ziegler explained the thought process behind trading the tight end:

"When you look at the trade in the singular aspect, we traded Darren for a third-round pick, right? Kind of taking a step away, what we ended up doing there is we ended up taking a portion of the money that Darren was making and acquiring Jakobi Meyers plus a third-round pick. So, that’s what ended up precipitating the trade. There was an opportunity to do it and, obviously, we thought it was the best opportunity for the football team. That’s how I really looked at is we ended up moving Darren for Jakobi and a third-round pick. Obviously, I thought that was worth the cost of doing business. Darren’s a phenomenal football player. He’s super talented. He’s super explosive. And Jakobi’s a really good football player, too. Ultimately, we felt like the value of acquiring Jakobi and the third-round pick was good value for us in terms of moving Darren."

It is evident that letting go of both was a difficult decision the Raiders were able to rationalize. And since letting Carr hit free agency, the Raiders brought in Garoppolo on a three-year $72 million contract. 

The Raiders haven't ruled out utilizing the No. 7 pick to select a quarterback, should one become available. The franchise also hasn't ruled out continuing to use free agency as a means of improving the quarterback room in the wake of Carr's departure. 

“I think we would take the best player,” McDaniels said. “We’ve kind of said that since we came here. I think we think that’s the right way to go. [General manager Dave Ziegler] and I both believe in that: Take the best football player. It always makes your football team better.”

As the Raiders continue to try and improve the roster, letting go of the past hasn't come easy for anyone involved.