Star quarterback (QB) Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders told reporters on Friday at the team's training camp that he wanted to bury all of the off-the-field issues last season in the past.

Jon Gruden resigned as Raiders head coach in October 2021 following an e-mail controversy that unearthed offensive language he used in private, among other things, and blew his 10-year, $100 million contract. Then in November, wide receiver Henry Ruggs III was released by the team after getting involved in a car accident that cost the lives of a young woman, Tina Tintor, and her dog.

In the same week, the Raiders waived cornerback Damon Arnette after the 2020 first-round selection posted a video of himself brandishing firearms and making death threats online.

"I think we've had us a good amount of time since all of that went down," Carr said. "I told you, I couldn't even comprehend it at the time, I'm a human person – I didn't get a chance really to feel all of those emotions, and after the season, one day it just hits you like, 'Wow, dang.' More so the life transformations for families and for life loss and careers that are done and all that stuff. The real-life part of it hits you because it was so, it happened, and we were right back here to play. There's so much in your mind, football-wise, that we didn't really get to comprehend it all."

Fortunately for the Raiders, they won all of their final four games of the regular season and advanced to the American Football Conference Wild Card Game with a 10-7 record. It's the team's first trip to the postseason since 2016 and second since 2002 despite the loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Raiders have brought in a new president Sandra Douglas Morgan, who was the first ever Black female in that position, a new general manager Dave Ziegler and a new head coach Josh McDaniels.

Neither did the team spare any efforts trying to build a competitive squad. They reached a four-year $95 million contract extension with defensive end Maxx Crosby; they traded for two-time All-Pro receiver Davante Adams with the Green Bay Packers; they signed four-time Pro-Bowl free agent defensive end Chandler Jones on a three-year, $52.5 million deal.

Carr agreed to a three-year, $121.5 million extension with the Raiders as well.

"There's a lot that Derek Carr does every day to give you a lot of confidence in what he can do with your team," coach McDaniels said. "I don't know how everybody else rates him. I just know that I feel pretty good about the things that I'm seeing ... he's working really hard. He's acclimating to some of the new guys."

"If I'm honest, after the season, I had a couple of days to think about it, really in the summer and things like that," Carr added. "But then since football [started] and we've been talking and grinding on the playbook, it's just been all football. And that's been nice. I'm glad that, hopefully, hopefully, that stuff is behind us."

The Raiders are challenging the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium in their regular season opener on September 11.