Las Vegas Raiders: How much pressure in on Derek Carr in 2021?
By Brad Weiss
Entering his eighth season as the starting quarterback for the Raiders franchise, how much pressure is on Derek Carr in 2021?
Since being selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr has seen a ton of people come and go. He has been through numerous head coaches, offensive coordinators, and staff members, all the while seeing the players around him leave yearly.
Overall, the record has been terrible for Carr as the quarterback for the Raiders, but you cannot put all of that on him. Sure, there have been games where he has left us scratching our heads, but for the most part, considering all the drama and changes around him, Carr has been pretty consistent for the Silver and Black.
Looking at his statistics, there is not much left for Carr to prove in that respect, as he completes nearly 70 percent of his passes, and has only 27 interceptions across the last three seasons. In addition, he has tossed for over 4,000 yards in each of the last three years, so statistically, he is getting the job done.
However, he does have one thing left to prove, and that is getting the Raiders to the playoffs, and actually playing in the game, and winning it.
It is playoffs or bust for the Raiders in 2021
The Raiders have looked like a playoff team early in both the 2019 and 2020 NFL seasons, getting out to 6-3 records, and pulling off some surprising victories. For Carr, this has led to speculation that this could finally be the year that he plays in the playoffs, but the team has not finished strong in each season.
In 2021, the Raiders will be going into the season with a brand new roster, including a revamped offensive line, and a defense that should be better on all three levels. Gus Bradley takes over for Paul Guenther as defensive coordinator, and he is a proven commodity at the NFL level in terms of that role.
Recently, there had been some rumors that Julio Jones could be headed to Vegas, and that would certainly take this offense to the next level. However, even without the former All-Pro wide receiver, there is more than enough talent on offense to be one of the best in the league once again in 2021, but the real issue is the defense.
The bottom line is, Carr does not play defense, and there are few quarterbacks in this league that could have put together a much better record than the Raiders did with that defense last season. However, there is a ton of pressure on Carr entering Year 8, as he can be released without much cap issues after the season, and if the Silver and Black do not make the playoffs, and falter down the stretch again, he could be on his way out.