Raiders: Only place Derek Carr is going is Las Vegas
Over the past two seasons, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr has put up solid numbers for the Silver and Black. So why is he the subject of trade rumors?
It’s that time of the year where the NFL’s version of the “hot stove league” is just starting to get warmed up. And one of the more popular ideas out there is that the Las Vegas Raiders could be the landing place for a six-time Super Bowl champion signal-caller that is testing free agency for the first time.
New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady has been the subject of many rumors and one of those has him landing in Sin City. Of course, the Raiders already have a starting quarterback in Derek Carr. And by every indication, Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden appear to be quite pleased with the six-year veteran signal-caller.
First, there’s this from the franchise’s general manager:
In a side session at combine, #Raiders Mike Mayock said this about possibility of trading Derek Carr: 'We're not looking to actively move him. At all. We know what we have and we appreciate it."
— Jerry McDonald (@Jerrymcd) February 25, 2020
Then there was this statement from Gruden via Vic Tafur of The Athletic on Twitter:
"Consistent on what I have said. I really think Derek is a heck of a player. And I have a lot of respect for what he has done and with some tough circumstances. So I’m not going answer every media rumor out there – just can’t do it. I’m just going to listen to my Sirius rock ‘n roll classic vinyl and keep working. But I love what Derek Carr did, love what he brings to our team and anxious to continue to build around him."
Smokescreens? That would be somewhat hard to imagine. And speaking of consistency, that’s certainly one way to describe the six-year pro’s improvement the past two seasons under the passionate head coach.
This past season, Carr connected on a career-best 70.4 percent of his throws. He totaled 4,054 yards through the air, good for 21 scores and only eight interceptions. That was better than his 2018 showing when he hit on 68.9 percent of his passes, a huge jump from his performance (62.7) the year before Gruden’s arrival.
He did an excellent job distributing the ball, from tight end Darren Waller (90 receptions) to wide receivers Hunter Renfrow (49) and Tyrell Williams (42) to running backs Jalen Richard (36) and DeAndre Washington (36).
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Yes, there are reports out there (courtesy of NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport) regarding Brady’s representation meeting with certain teams and the Las Vegas Raiders are on the list. All of that remains to be seen. But if you are reading the lines and not in between them, it appears that the Silver and Black are ready to move on…to Las Vegas. And Derek Carr is going with them.