Derek Carr may finish 2018 as the Raiders all-time passing leader

Derek Carr is putting up eye-popping numbers in his first season under Jon Gruden, and could find himself atop the Raiders all-time passing list in 2018.

Derek Carr came into the 2018 NFL season with his fourth head coach in five years, if you count the late Tony Sparano’s time as interim head coach in 2014, and a new offensive coordinator for the third year in a row. The big question was whether or not he could deal with new head coach Jon Gruden, who has been known to be hard on his quarterbacks throughout the years.

While Gruden can be hard on his quarterbacks, he also has shown the ability to get the best out of them, as he is one of the better minds when it comes to the position in the NFL. During his last tenure in Oakland, he turned veteran Rich Gannon into an NFL MVP, and in Carr, he would be working with the best signal-caller, talent-wise, he has ever worked with.

All summer long, Gruden and Carr seemed to be on the same page, with the head coach saying Carr knew his offense better than he does. However, the team got out to a rough start in Week 1, as Carr threw three interceptions in a 30-13 loss at home to the Los Angeles Rams, and the questions began swirling once again about if the relationship could last.

In Week 2, the Raiders had to go to Denver to take on the Broncos, and Carr had a historic day. He completed 92 percent of his passes, becoming the first player in history to complete over 90 percent on 30-or-more attempts, but the Raiders blew a second half lead for the second straight week.

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The following week, Oakland had to go to Miami to take on the Dolphins, and while Carr threw for over 340 yards, he was bit by the interceptions, as he threw two. Sitting at 0-3, and heading home to take on the Cleveland Browns, the Raiders knew they were in must-win territory, and they came away with a stunning come-from-behind victory.

In that game, Carr threw for 437 yards and four touchdowns, and while he had two more picks, his leadership late in the game led the Raiders to an improbable victory. Through the first four games of the season, Carr is having an incredible season in terms of passing yards, and it could lead to him becoming the all-time passer in Raiders history.

Coming into 2018, Carr needed 4,388 yards to tie Ken Stabler atop the Raiders all-time list in passing yards. In his career, the fifth-year starter had never reached the 4,000-yard mark, so it was safe to say he would move into the No. 2 spot, and then pass Snake next season.

Through the first four games of the season, Carr has already thrown for 1,373 yards, and is on pace to throw for an incredible 5,492 yards. The Raiders single-season record, for those counting at home, is 4,689 by the aforementioned Gannon back in 2002.

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In order to pass Stabler, Carr would have to throw for an average of 251.3 yards in each of the last 12 games of the 2018 season. Considering his low so far this season has been his 288-yard effort against Denver, that definitely seems doable.

While the 5,492 yards will likely not be attainable, as he would have to average over 343 yards a contest, there should be no reason why he cannot catch the great Ken Stabler.

The Carr and Gruden relationship is fine, as they were seen embracing after the team’s victory on Sunday. In fact, they are just getting started, and with a couple games coming up against some secondaries that are definitely beatable, Carr could be in for a very special season in 2018.

Of course, we are only four games into the season, and there is a lot of football left to be played. But Carr has gone up against some solid secondaries already this season, and with some easier matchups on the horizon, it is not out of the realm of possibility that he end the season as the Raiders all-time leader in passing yards.

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Carr is a special talent, and this past weekend, he showed some of that magic we saw during the 2016 season, when the Raiders were never out of a game as long as he was under center. This Raiders team is still coming together as a unit, but they have the right man leading the charge at quarterback, and when all is said and done, he will be the most prolific signal-caller in Raiders history.

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