The Raiders are benching quarterback Derek Carr and will start backup Jarrett Stidham the final two games of the regular season, coach Josh McDaniels said Wednesday.

Carr’s 2023 salary of $33 million and $7.5 million of his 2024 salary are injury guaranteed, meaning the Raiders will owe him $40.5 million should he get hurt over the next two weeks, a risk the Raiders seemingly did not want to take.

Carr signed a three-year, $121 million contract last offseason, but the Raiders have an out after this season in which they can either walk away from Carr or trade him while incurring just a $5.9 million hard cap hit.

The out clause has to be executed by February 15, or the 2023 salary and $7.5 million of his 2024 salary would have become fully guaranteed. The Raiders could trade him even if he is on the roster after that deadline.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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