Mike Mayock praises Raiders QB Derek Carr, not actively trying to move him
By Kenny King
Las Vegas Raiders general manager Mike Mayock held a press conference on Tuesday at the NFL Combine, and spoke candidly about Derek Carr.
On Monday, February 24, The NFL Combine began. Three Hundred and thirty-seven of the nation’s top collegiate prospects ascended upon Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana to meet with teams, work out, take measurables and to put on a display for the 32 NFL teams, including the Las Vegas Raiders, that will be looking for the next group of stars to be selected in the 2020 NFL Draft in April.
Top quarterback prospects Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, Jordan Love and Jalen Hurts were among many of the players involved in the discussion of quarterbacks, but a surprising conversation that has been brewing has been that of Derek Carr. Speculations have been building throughout the offseason as to the status of Carr and his future with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Carr, who is under contract until 2022 with the Raiders is entering his seventh year with the franchise, his third with head coach, Jon Gruden and second with general manager, Mike Mayock. In the offseason leading into the 2019 season, Jason LaCanfora reported that The Raiders could move on from Derek Carr after showing interest in Dwayne Haskins who was later drafted by the Washington Redskins.
It looks as if this draft season, La Canfora is doubling down on his speculations as recently as December stating that “sources close to Gruden believe he may be looking to upgrade the quarterback position through the draft”. On Tuesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted this out.
Raiders’ GM Mike Mayock on Derek Carr: "Derek played at a high level last season. I'm very happy with Derek. But as I've said before, we will evaluate every position on our roster and if there's a chance to upgrade, we will look into that."
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 25, 2020
Tuesday, February 25, Mayock met with the media and addressed the Derek Carr rumors stating that “Derek Carr played at a high level” and later went on to praise the cerebral ability for Carr to manage Jon Gruden’s offense and to execute properly. Mayock then went on to discuss areas of improvement in “goal to go, red zone efficiency and scoring” while also acknowledging that the team must get better at the wide receiver position, linebacker and defensive unit as a whole.
Mayock’s job as a general manager in the National Football League is to evaluate talent and to make the moves necessary for his team to be successful, as an analyst for over twenty years, Mayock will certainly evaluate more often than other general managers who have little or no experience in that arena. To further quiet the whispers of speculation, Jerry McDonald of the Athletic reported that Mayock said that they are “Not looking actively to move him and that they know what they have and appreciate it”
While everyone sees Jon Gruden as a wild card, one must also look at his track record. Gruden loves veteran quarterbacks with a love and passion for the game of football who can master his system and become a second coach and leader on the field which is exactly what he has in Carr.