Raiders need to commit to Derek Carr long-term or move on

Raiders need to commit to Derek Carr long-term or move on

The Case for Extending Carr

Let’s start by being honest. The Las Vegas Raiders wouldn’t have been a playoff team without Carr at the helm. He guided the team through the toughest and most tragic period in franchise history. If he wasn’t there to pull them through the dark times during the season, then the team would’ve likely experienced a midseason collapse worse than the two years prior.

The team will likely look for Carr’s leadership to guide them in 2022, especially if they are given a new coaching staff.

As for Carr’s production this season, he played well. He finished fifth in the league in passing yards by throwing for a career-high 4804 yards. Carr also finished the season with the third-highest completion percentage of his career and had one of the best deep throw percentages in the league.

He did all of that after losing Henry Ruggs, being without Darren Waller for most of the year, and having a terrible offensive line that struggled to establish the run game and allowed him to get sacked 40 times. The fact that he can have the season he did despite all of those obstacles is a testament to how efficient of a quarterback he is.

Also, extending Carr makes sense from a stability perspective. They won’t have to take a risk on a rookie quarterback, and Carr’s new contract will still be cheaper than the top quarterbacks in the league. Having Carr could also draw in potential free agents looking to play with him, such as Davante Adams, who may be a free agent this offseason.