Despite the noise, expect Derek Carr to start for the Raiders in 2020

The Las Vegas Raiders have already been linked to a number of quarterbacks, but the expectation is still that Derek Carr will be the starter in 2020.

If there is one thing that gets Raiders fans going, it is the debate as to whether Derek Carr should be the team’s quarterback in 2020 and beyond. In fact, if you take a deep dive into Raiders Twitter, you will see fans of the quarterback called Carrdashians, Carr stans, and other names on a daily basis.

Those who feel he should be the guy moving forward speak to his stats the last two years, and how he has not had continuity with his coaches over his career, or the terrible teams he has played on. No matter what side of the fence you stand on, one thing is for sure, all signs point to Derek Carr being the starting quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020.

This offseason, the Silver and Black have been already linked to multiple quarterbacks, whether it is six-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady, who had a conversation with Mark Davis in Las Vegas and it caught like wildfire. Or Jameis Winston, the interception machine who takes shots downfield, something Gruden loves, and Carr does not do.

Throughout the next few months, we will see a lot of this talk ramp up, as the Raiders hold two first round picks, and have enough draft capital to move up and get one of the premier quarterbacks in this draft class. While Joe Burrow may be out of reach at No. 1 overall, guys like Justin Herbert and Tua Tagovailoa will likely get a long look from Jon Gruden this offseason.

Sure, the wins have not been there, but Carr has played well in Gruden’s system the last two years, and the team is not likely to open Vegas with a project under center. Sure, the free agent quarterbacks out there are splashy names, but based on what we are seeing with all the unveiling in Las Vegas, Carr is at the center of this move.

Holding two first round picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, a lot of cap space, and five overall picks in the top-100, the Raiders are going to be even better in 2020. They went from four wins to seven this past season, and Carr has a career-year statistically, all the while doing it without a true WR1 along the way.

General manager Mike Mayock has already stated that the team needs to add more weapons around Carr, another indication that he is not going anywhere. Sure, Gruden can say one thing, and then go do something completely different, but we have not seen that from Mayock, who has come in here and built a solid roster in only 12-plus months.

My expectation is that Gruden kicks the tires on all of these 2020 NFL Draft quarterbacks, much like he did in 2019, but the team spends their draft picks making the team better around Carr. If they do that, and the wins still don’t come in 2020, you can expect them to move on, but for now, it is clearly looking like it will be No. 4 under center when the Raiders kick off their newest era of football.