There’s no questioning that Las Vegas needed to make a change.
But it’s the move the Raiders made that raised some eyebrows.
The Raiders mysteriously parted ways with Germaine Pratt, one of the team’s premier linebackers, just five games into the season.
Head coach Pete Carroll announced the move Monday after Pratt did not travel with the Raiders ahead of Sunday’s 40-6 blowout loss to the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Carroll kept his reasoning ambiguous, telling reporters that the team “decided to go in a different direction.”
Pratt, 29, headlined a weakside linebacker rotation that also featured Jamal Adams and Devin White.
His Raiders tenure ended after just four games, in which he allowed 74 yards in 105 coverage snaps, posting a 70.7 passer rating on 13 targets as the nearest defender, per ESPN.
The NC State product signed a one-year, $4.25 million deal with the Raiders in June, after posting a career-high 143 tackles, two interceptions and a pair of fumble recoveries with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Pratt was released by the Bengals after six seasons, in which he contributed to back-to-back AFC North titles and AFC Championship aame appearances in 2021 and 2022.
Across 96 career games, he racked up 616 tackles, 23 pass breakups, seven forced fumbles and seven interceptions.
Pratt was released amid a 1-4 start to Carroll’s first year helming the Raiders, a turbulent stretch the coach said he is processing “poorly.”
Las Vegas has lost four straight after Sunday’s walloping, and the 34-point margin marked the second-most lopsided defeat in Carroll’s storied coaching career.
“I’m processing it poorly to tell you the truth because I did expect to win right out of the chutes,” Carroll told reporters after the game.
The Raiders have a chance to bounce back in Week 6, welcoming the lowly Tennessee Titans (1-4) to Allegiant Stadium on Sunday.
