Derek Carr says ‘Just let us play,’ to NFL’s evolving COVID rules

Derek Carr is beyond the point of trying to keep up with the NFL’s ever-changing COVID-19 protocols.

While the changes the league made over the last two weeks pave the way for more players to be available each week, there is still just enough confusion to make it hard to keep track.

“It’s always evolving,” Carr said. “It’s always changing.”

For instance, the Raiders have put nine players on the COVID-19 list over the last three days, including tight end Darren Waller and defensive lineman Kendal Vickers on Wednesday. Their availability for Sunday’s game against the Colts is all predicated on a series of new protocols put in place in which some previous guidelines supersede the most recent ones.

Take Waller, for instance. Under the rules put in place on Tuesday, the new five-day quarantine protocol for all vaccinated and unvaccinated players means he won’t be eligible to return by Sunday. But because a previous mandate enabled vaccinated players to test out of quarantine before the necessary time has lapsed, there is a path available that puts him on the field in Indianapolis.

A bunch of his teammates fall in the same category, as do a number of Colts players. Almost all of them, though, will miss a full week of practice before restoring eligibility. That means a good chunk of players from both teams will take the field on Sunday without one day of real preparation.

If they can even go at all.

“Our anticipation is they are going to be mentally prepared to go,” said Raiders interim head coach Rich Bisaccia. “Hopefully they’re doing some things on their own, to get themselves, cardio-wise, ready.”

At this point, about all Carr or anyone else can do is show up to the game on Sunday, take a look around the locker room and then across the field at the other team to truly figure out who is playing and who isn’t.

“That’s pretty much what it’s become, honestly,” Carr said.

That brings Carr back to the start of training camp and the NFL’s big push to get as many players vaccinated as possible. The whole point, he thought, was to avoid the types of situations that have occurred over the last few weeks. Several teams have had to play without a number of key players who tested positive for COVID-19.

That included the Raiders’ game against the Cleveland Browns, which was delayed two days after more than 20 Browns players landed on the COVID-19 list. At the time Carr verbalized what a number of players seem to be thinking at the moment.

The long and short of it being: Just let everyone play.

“You had everyone get a vaccine, so just let us play,” Carr reiterated on Wednesday. “If that’s what it was for, if the vaccine works, then just let us play. That’s what we were saying in our building. Just let all of them play.”

Short of that, Carr is going to keep his head down and do whatever he has to in order to be available every week.

“I’ve stopped trying to figure it out,” Carr said. “I just kind of prepare, do my best to keep myself and my family safe and my teammates safe. And make sure I’m available so that when the game does come, I’m one of the players that can be available.”

Waller, who has missed the last four games with knee and back injuries, was put on the COVID-19 list after testing positive on Wednesday.

The Raiders were hopeful that Waller would be cleared to play against the Colts, which is essentially the first leg of the two-game play-in the Raiders have to clear to reach the playoffs.

Wins over the Colts and Los Angeles Chargers to close the regular season put the 8-7 Raiders in the postseason for the first time since 2016. They were hopeful of getting their dynamic tight end back in time to enhance their chances.

But his status is now up in the air, with his availability predicated on him being symptom-free and clearing one of the three available testing protocols available to vaccinated players.

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