Despite swirling rumors once again, Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr should have the best year of his career in 2021.
Ever since Jon Gruden took control of the Las Vegas Raiders before the 2018 NFL season, and traded Khalil Mack, experts and insiders claimed that Derek Carr’s time as the Las Vegas quarterback would be close to its end. Their reasoning was that Gruden wasn’t satisfied with Carr’s production and that he would prefer to have a rookie quarterback that he could build around.
Draft after draft, this was the story that was being pushed, with players like Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa being tied to Las Vegas before the draft. There were even reports this offseason that Las Vegas was looking to trade Carr, as players like Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, and Aaron Rodgers were rumored to be headed towards Las Vegas.
Yet, year after year, Carr has remained the team’s franchise quarterback, and he’s only improved with each season under Gruden. As he enters his fourth season under Gruden, the expectation is playoffs or bust, and hopefully, the Raiders have put enough around him, especially on defense to do that.