Derek Carr is not Patrick Mahomes, and doesn’t have to be

The Oakland Raiders have a franchise quarterback in Derek Carr, and he’s proven to be the man for the job. There is no need for Carr to try and mimic his style off anyone, not even Patrick Mahomes.

When you are the reigning league MVP, arguably playing at the highest level at your position, and the leader of a consensus contender, it’s easy for the majority of people to peg you as the new standard. That rings true, especially for Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

After an MVP level season in 2018, making the Chiefs automatic contenders for years to come, the fallout has been swift. Many are quick to compare and contrast their respective team’s quarterback to Mahomes.

Derek Carr is no exception, especially given that the two quarterbacks face off twice a year as division rivals.

Whenever Mahomes dissects defenses with his arm or no-look throws, so many are quick to jump to conclusions: “we need a quarterback who can do that” or “why can’t Carr be like Mahomes?” These are the facts: the Raiders are not the Chiefs and Carr is not Mahomes. But the reality is that he doesn’t have to be, and franchise quarterbacks come in different molds.

Not every NFL team needs a Mahomes under center, and quite frankly he won’t always be the solution to a team’s woes. Derek Carr has no reason to mimic Patrick Mahomes, and he’s more than proven to be the right man for the Raiders for these reasons.