Raiders: Ranking every season of Derek Carr’s career
By Jason Willis
The 2022 season will be Raiders quarterback Derek Carr’s ninth season at the helm of the franchise, and here, we rank his previous eight campaigns.
After eight seasons in the NFL, quarterback Derek Carr is still heavily debated amongst fans and analysts alike. Among these eight seasons, which one was the best?
We start at No. 8 overall.
Raiders: Ranking every season of Derek Carr’s career
28. . . . 2017. 8. player
After breaking his leg in 2016, Derek Carr would be forced to miss the Raiders’ first playoff game since 2002. However, Oakland was fully expected to return to the playoffs in 2017. Coupled with the return of Carr, the Raiders also added Marshawn Lynch, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Jared Cook to an already explosive offense.
While the team would tart 2-0 on the year, it all fell off the rails after a loss to Washington in week three. From then on, something always felt a tad off. This was true for Carr as well who appeared to be a much more timid passer than in years past. The lowest point for Carr came in week four against the Broncos when he suffered three broken bones in his back.
One of Carr’s most memorable plays happened this season as well. In a primetime game against the Cowboys, the Raiders had a chance to win it at the end. As Carr ran to the corner of the endzone for the winning touchdown, he dove and fumbled the ball out of the endzone for a touchback causing the Raiders to lose.
In a season filled with letdowns, there were plenty of exciting moments as well. The most memorable among them was undoubtedly the Thursday night game against the Chiefs. With 417 passing yards and three touchdowns on a whopping 52 pass attempts, Carr was able to end the Raiders’ four-game losing streak with a miraculous come-from-behind win.
2017 was one of the most disappointing seasons in Raiders history and it will go down as Carr’s worst. Fresh off a massive contract extension that made him the highest-paid player in the league at the time, he recorded just 3,496 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and thirteen interceptions. The Raiders would miss the playoffs with a 6-10 record and head coach Jack Del Rio was fired immediately following week seventeen.