3 Las Vegas Raiders who could make first-team All-Pro in 2022
By Alex Perl
3 Las Vegas Raiders who could make first-team All-Pro in 2022
Derek Carr
Am I doing this just to anger the many doubters of Derek Dallas Carr? To be honest – not even in the slightest.
Whatever your stance may be on Carr, the quarterback will be entering his ninth season in charge of the Raider offense. The 57-70 record, the lack of consistent red zone success; It’s a list that can go all day for why Carr should not continue to be the quarterback for this franchise. But he is, and RaiderNation needs to get used to it.
Carr is the most polarizing figure in the history of the Raider franchise. As he has shattered nearly every quarterback franchise record in his path, the wins have not been there for the most part, and this has caused much of the uproar as he continues to steer this franchise year after year.
We can go on all day about why Carr has been unsuccessful, or how he has. But you can not overlook the fact Carr is now playing for his sixth head coach in nine seasons. You also have to understand the state of this franchise before he arrived in 2014. After leading the Raiders to the playoffs in 2016, this was the first trip the franchise had made to the playoffs in almost 15 years.
The turmoil this team has put Carr through is beyond measure, and as it looks inevitable he will receive a contract extension soon, it is truly hard to believe he has stood by a franchise that has truly surrounded him with such lackluster talent for much of his career.
He has never had very much continuity in terms of receiving threats, as the Raiders are nearly adding new targets to the roster almost every season.
Now with a star player in Pro Bowler and slot receiver Hunter Renfrow; Paired with one of the top tight ends in football in Darren Waller, and now adding Davante Adams to the formula, this is by far the most talented core of receivers Carr has ever had in his arsenal.
Carr threw for nearly 5,000 yards in 2021. Finishing fifth overall in passing yards in the entirety of the league. Putting up these numbers after the loss of his top receiver Henry Ruggs (we already know the circumstances here), and Waller spending much of the season injured. Carr had to rely primarily on Renfrow (a former fifth-round pick) and solid but not spectacular wide-out Zay Jones.
So adding in a healthy Waller, with less pressure on Renfrow and the arrival of arguably the top wideout in the sport in Adams; It seems as though Carr can almost double these numbers. Well, that may be merely an exaggeration, but he should certainly improve upon these numbers and also his touchdown output.
I know the critics of Carr will have a lot to say on this one, but this might be the year that Carr finally has the team around him to fully flourish. Do not be surprised at all to read at the end of the season that your quarterback in Derek Carr is a First-team All-Pro selection; Because with these targets – he very well should be.