Derek Carr can rest easy now. In fact, he can even look forward to next offseason, when he likely won’t have to endure incessant speculation about his job security with the Raiders for the first time since head coach Jon Gruden arrived.. If Gruden was going to make a change at quarterback, this was the
Raiders QB Derek Carr’s job secure from outside threats for 2020 and 2021 seasons
2021 Steve? I don’t necessarily agree with that determination that his job is safe in 2021. A few hypotheticals:
-Carr gets hurt, Mariota is inserted and outperforms Carr. Carr doesn’t get his job back (ex. Brady following Bledsoe, Plunkett following Pastorini circa 1980)
– Carr underwhelms this season. Mariota goes in and stays as starter into 2021. Carr unloaded in off season
-Carr and both Mariota get hurt. Season craters into a single digit win season. Raiders are in top 10 and in the QB Sweepstakes for next year’s draft
Or this scenario, which is most plausible: Carr puts up another 4K yard, 20 TD season but team still doesn’t get into playoffs. Carr continues to throw ball into the ground on 4th downs, unable to beat Chiefs with poor performances, etc (same stuff as previous seasons). Raiders trade Carr and try to get into top half of the draft to obtain a QB.
It’s important to read the headline in this case. I said Carr is safe from “outside threats.” I also mention that Mariota is his primary concern now.
The point is, sure Carr could get hurt and play like crap in 2020. But, whereas Gruden and Mayock had viable options in free agency and the draft this offseason, there aren’t any as of now a year from today.
Yeah, but Andy Dalton is available! 🙂 Okay, sorry for the snark there, but I understand the whole idea behind the 2021 season as being not threatened from outside sources. But, one has to believe that Carr will be held to account this season if he does what he did the last two. As Cork and many others have written several times, it seems as if Gruden either is not sure about Carr or is biding his time. Maybe Mayock is preaching patience with Carr until there are no excuses for Carr’s lack of ability to win games.
Rodgers anyone? My guess is he goes to the 9ers if he ever becomes available, but Gruden will make a run at him for sure.
I want Carr to silence all the doubters. Including me. I would love for him to become that MVP type player we saw what seems like eons ago.
Gruden is doing everything he can to allow Carr to have a great season. A top tier RB. A top TE. A deep speed shifty WR. A slot WR. A possession WR or two. What should be a top O line. There is not much else Gruden can do to get the best from Carr. This is it.
This is what Gruden had planned last year with AB. Gruden was hoping to have the final grade on Carr before this years draft. By the end of this upcoming season, he will know if he needs to give up the farm for a guy like Lawrence or not.
Based on Cork’s Carr article prior to the draft, the conclusion was if there was no move for a QB now, then Gruden and Mayock must be 100% sold on Carr. Gotta think they believe Carr can get the team into the playoffs and beyond, otherwise I think Cork is right…this was it, with two 1st round picks and our draft position. Going forward, our record will keep us out of the top half of the draft and cost will be way too high to move on an elite QB prospect. Gruden knows what he has in Carr by now….there’s no more, “one more year to show me” going on. Gruden must think Carr is what he wants.
Thanks for the follow up on your pre-draft article, Steve. I honestly think his play this season will put all this BS to rest. How soon we’ve forgotten that the fan base was freaking out about Tom Cable and Kolton Miller this time last year and now they’re scarcely mentioned, for all the right reasons.
Go Raiders! Go Carr!
Plus 1
6 years of this dude, 5 of which are below acceptable, and here we go again. Say what you will about the last years of Al, but there is no way Carr would ever be allowed in the facility if Al was still around. Nothing but excuses, scared play, and a lack of points from this man running the offense – regardless of coaches or players around him. I can’t wait to move on and end this experiment.
There are examples of teams winning everything with a QB who was “Good enough” – Dilfer, Brad Johnson, Doug Williams, Rypien and arguably Plunkett all spring to mind.
Those players had offenses that may have been worse than what Carr has been provided with, so there is no excuse for him not to produce a strong showing from the offense this year.
The problem we still face is one that those other good enough guys didn’t have to worry about – help from the D. Carr is going to have to overcome all of his limitations in a very big way to make up for a D that has a lot of distance to make up on the league average, let alone being a contributor to take some load off the O. Same goes for ST.
I haven’t changed my opinion on Carr and I genuinely hope he can get his part of the job done , because he is the starter like it or not, but we really need the other two thirds of the team to step up and at least not let the O down on a weekly basis.
Ken Stabler is my favorite all time Raider. The last live game I watched him play in Oakland he threw 7 picks still a record. That is why I hate all the Raider QB talk. Carr is not and will never be Snake but his is the Raider QB and that will always be the only QB in the league for me. I think Carr will have a very good year. Mostly because the Raiders will not be in the top 5 in dropped passes for the 1st time in his career. I really like all the post on this site all of u are great. Go Raiders
Well said Brian – you keep posting your thoughts!