6 NFL teams that are a franchise quarterback away from being contenders

2. Las Vegas Raiders

The Derek Carr era has gone on longer than many thought it would after some lackluster seasons under center. Carr’s best season was easily in 2016 when he led the Raiders to a 12-3 record and was in the MVP conversation until he tripped up pretty badly against the Chiefs.

Carr isn’t a bad quarterback, but he’s average. He relies on a lot of check-downs and isn’t typically someone who is going to carry the team on his back in a big moment. This season is Carr’s last chance to prove that he can be a good quarterback and lead the team to the playoffs again.

Las Vegas inking Marcus Mariota to a contract this offseason showed that they weren’t fully sold on Carr and his future with the Raiders. There’s also been buzz in the past two drafts that the Raiders could be interested in taking a quarterback in the first round.

The Raiders are a decent team this year and they have the weapons to be one of the league’s best. A franchise quarterback who could truly capitalize on all of those weapons would not only put the Raiders in playoff contention, but there’s a chance they could give the Chiefs a run for their money when it came to the AFC West title.

Derek Carr had the one good season for the Raiders and despite them giving him talent these past few years, he hasn’t improved much. They could definitely contend with a better quarterback.