Derek Carr is a polarizing figure for fans of the Las Vegas Raiders. After nine uninterrupted seasons as the starting quarterback for the Silver and Black, so much unfolded that it seems like no two fans even feel the same way about him. The "Carr Wars" ignited social media for nearly his entire tenure.
Some portion of fans felt that Carr was a very good quarterback, and the team's lack of success was due to a poor defense and supporting cast. Others felt that Carr was the one holding back the team, as he made too many mistakes that didn't show up on the stat sheet and ruined the game flow.
In reality, his time as a Raider can likely be defined somewhere in the middle of those two extremes. While the team could have done far worse, and fans are seeing that now, the Carr era was ultimately defined by zero playoff wins and just two postseason appearances. That just doesn't cut it.
That said, Raider Nation can agree on a lot of things about Carr. First and foremost, he absolutely loves the Silver and Black and representing The Shield. His leadership, IQ and understanding of the game cannot be denied, either, even if he did not always make the perfect decision on the field.
Coaching or broadcasting always felt like a natural segue for him after his playing career was over, and he retired ahead of the 2025 NFL season. The recent hire of Klint Kubiak could actually set the stage for Carr's great Raiders redemption... as a quarterbacks coach for Fernando Mendoza.
Could Derek Carr return to Raiders as QB coach to mentor Fernando Mendoza?
For the first time in a long time, Las Vegas is set to select a quarterback in the first round. If the Raiders do take Mendoza with the No. 1 pick in April, as expected, it would mark the Raiders' first Day 1 quarterback selection since 2007, and the only one in the first two rounds since... Carr in 2014.
With Kubiak now taking the reins for the Silver and Black, he'll need to quickly fill out his staff. Someone like Andrew Janocko is likely to step up as the offensive coordinator, but nailing the quarterbacks coach hire is also pivotal for a first-year signal-caller.
An argument certainly exists for that to be Derek Carr.
Look, Kubiak, Janocko and Carr worked together in New Orleans in 2024. The three may very well speak the same language when it comes to football, and they already have a rapport in terms of communicating between coordinators and the quarterback. Carr could easily help facilitate.
Carr even made a mention of it on the most recent episode of his Home Grown podcast.
"Congratulations, you know how I feel about you," Carr said in a message to Kubiak. "I'm only one call away, man. I'll come help the kid!"
Some may have interpreted Carr's comments as him returning to the playing field. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport even believes that Carr will have some interest in a weak quarterback free agency market, and that a return is not impossible.
But David Carr, Derek's older brother, threw some cold water onto that assessment, and further pushed the idea that a coaching position could potentially be in play for the Raiders' longtime quarterback.
"He loves Klint, I know they talk all the time. I know that Klint's probably going to do whatever he can to see if Derek is interested in any facet of helping them out. I know they've had conversations already, just about the building, about what to expect. It's a close relationship; I wouldn't be surprised if Derek continues that relationship. I don't know what that would look like. I don't know if that's Derek putting the cleats back on. I doubt it."
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Now, David did say that nothing would surprise him with his young brother, and that Derek is still in great shape and working out. But it sounds like Derek has more of an admiration for Klint Kubiak, the person, than he does for the desire to keep playing football. That could be the perfect combination.
No Raiders fan wants Carr in the building if he is still thinking about playing. Not only would the Raiders have to trade for him if they wanted him as a player, which John Spytek would never do, but that would be an incredibly difficult situation for Mendoza to walk into.
Instead, Carr could unite Raider Nation and redeem himself in the ultimate way by being a great mentor and coach to Mendoza. The two's personalities could certainly jive, and if he has a hand in finally turning things around in Las Vegas, Carr would be immortalized in Silver and Black culture.
Being a quarterbacks coach isn't like being a coordinator or head coach. Carr is fully qualified to coach the quarterback position after 11 NFL seasons and 171 professional starts. He wouldn't be calling plays or leading the entire locker room. He'd just be helping the quarterback room.
Again, Carr being a distraction would be a concern. It may not be his fault, but due to his polarizing history with the fanbase, if Mendoza starts playing poorly, as rookies tend to do for stretches, some fans may blame Carr for that. Others may want him to suit back up in Mendoza's place.
Carr also played with several guys who are still in the building, like Maxx Crosby, Kolton Miller, A.J. Cole and Daniel Carlson. That may make the power dynamic a bit weird, even if a typical quarterbacks coach wouldn't interface with them very often.
But I just can't shake the idea that Carr deserves a better ending with the Raiders than the one he got. His best days are behind him as a player, and Mendoza is a no-brainer in April. The quarterback situation is clear in Las Vegas. But Carr, if he can buy into helping out Mendoza, can redeem himself.
The guy bleeds Silver and Black, he's a great leader, is familiar with and highly-regarded in the building, and knows Kubiak well. I just imagine him developing Mendoza to become better than him and helping turn things around in Las Vegas in an ultimate act of selflessness that heals the fanbase.
That may sound like fan fiction, and Carr could end up being a distraction. But just imagine what a storybook ending that would be for him, and what it would mean to see Carr, who fans thought could win a Super Bowl in 2016, play a key role in taking Mendoza and the Raiders to the promised land.