Oakland Raiders: Expect big things from Derek Carr in 2019

Entering his second season in Jon Gruden’s offense, expect Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr to have a huge season in 2019.

In 2018, the Oakland Raiders brought in a brand new coaching staff, as Jon Gruden was signed to a 10-year deal worth $100 million. For quarterback Derek Carr, that meant his fourth head coach, whether full-time or on an interim basis, which is never something you want in only your fifth season in the NFL.

With Gruden, the Raiders should have the same head coach in place for a while, which should bring a smile to Carr’s face. Since the two connected, they have seemed to get along great, showing the kind of work ethic that should be able to turn this thing around sooner than later.

When it comes to Carr, his first season in Gruden’s offense started off pretty slow, but he really turned it on in the second half of the season. In fact, he finished the year by setting career highs in passing yards, and completion percentage, all the while learning one of the harder offenses in the NFL.

During this offseason, many have been clamoring that the Raiders should move on from Carr, and that is just nonsense. At only 27-years old, Carr is just entering the prime of his NFL career, and with some stability in the coaching staff, and assets to play with this offseason, his best years are yet to come.

Consider this. Last season, Carr set records despite the fact that he has two rookie offensive tackles, his star offensive guards missed time due to injury, and he had very little weapons to speak of on the offensive side of the ball. In 2019, all of that will change, as the Raiders will make a concerted effort to put talent around him, and bolster the offensive line in front of him.

In Gruden’s first stint in Oakland, he had Rich Gannon, who would go on to be one of the better quarterbacks in team history. Even Gannon struggled a bit in his first season in Gruden’s system, but bounced back in a big way in year two, leading the team from an 8-8 campaign, to a 12-4 season in 2000.

Carr is a more talented quarterback than Gannon, and with early draft picks, the Raiders should be able to build this roster around him. They have Jordy Nelson coming back at wide receiver, and need to lock up tight end Jared Cook as a free agent, as he has led the team in receiving yards the last two seasons.

Oakland is going to add some serious weapons, as they have already been in on Antonio Brown, and rumored to be interested in Odell Beckham Jr. Either way, this offense is going to be much better in 2019, and Carr will certainly benefit from  having some consistency in his coaching staff for the first time in his career.

It is my guess that Carr is going to have a monster season in 2019, and the Raiders should be a much better team than the franchise put on the field last season. Gruden had his first season to start putting the wheels in motion to turn this franchise around, and despite all of the rumors, he has the right guy under center to lead this team into the Las Vegas years.