Las Vegas Raiders: Is Derek Carr an 2021 NFL MVP sleeper?
By Brad Weiss
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr has put together three solid seasons under Jon Gruden, but is he in line for an MVP year in 2021?
Since Jon Gruden returned to pilot the Las Vegas Raiders franchise, the narrative every offseason was that Derek Carr was on his way out. Well, entering the 2021 season, and their fourth year together, Carr does not seem to be going anywhere, and in fact, is coming off his best season as a pro in 2020.
Over at NFL.com, Adam Schein put together a list of nine players for the upcoming season that could be sleeper picks for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award. Incredibly, Carr was listed within this ranking, coming in at No. 6 overall, joining other quarterbacks like Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, Kyler Murray, Matt Ryan, and even Carson Wentz.
In fact, the only non-quarterback to make this list was Myles Garrett at No. 7 overall, as Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson were named to close out the group of nine. For Carr, a Most Valuable Player award would be a nice individual achievement, but getting this team to the playoffs is priority No. 1 in 2021.
Raiders need Carr to lead them to the playoffs
Over the past two seasons, the Raiders have gotten off to a fast start, going 6-3 in both campaigns before blowing it late. In 2020, the offense certainly was not the problem, as Carr threw for a career-high 4,103 yards, and tossed 27 touchdowns against only nine interceptions.
Over the last three seasons, Carr has only 27 interceptions total.
While statistics are nice, Carr is at the point where he is being judged by only one thing, and that is winning football games. If No. 4 is involved in the MVP talk, that means the Raiders have had a tremendous season, and he once again put up solid numbers, which would be a win-win for both Carr and the organization.
A lot has to go right for Carr to be a legitimate MVP candidate, but the offense does have a ton of talent around him, and the defense should be better. Overall, if the Raiders can get to the ten-win mark, and get into the playoffs, it means Carr had a solid 2021 campaign.
Recently we discussed Carr at length, and the fact that he really only had one thing left to prove, and that is winning in the postseason. He has had many highs, as well as lows during his seven seasons as the starter for the franchise, and if 2021 leads to him being an MVP candidate, his eighth season has been his best one yet.