2021 NFL Quarterback Power Rankings: How far ahead is Patrick Mahomes?
By Randy Gurzi
18. Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders
A second-round pick back in 2014, Derek Carr has been the starter for the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders since the day he arrived. He even had them trending in the right direction in the first few seasons of his career.
Following a 3-13 rookie campaign, Carr led the Raiders to a 7-9 mark in 2015 and then a 12-3 record with him starting in 2016. Unfortunately, Carr was injured that season and missed the playoffs.
Since that season, however, the Raiders have not come close to the success they had in 2015. Then in 2018, they brought back Jon Gruden as the head coach and he has slowly started to gain some ground going 4-12, 7-9, and 8-8 in the past three seasons but for much of that time, there’s been debate about whether or not he believes in Carr.
Still, Carr continues to play well and has 67 touchdowns and 27 picks over the past three seasons with more than 4,000-yards in each of those campaigns. Still, he hasn’t been able to deliver the wins for his team and that often falls on the quarterback — fair or not.
Like many of the quarterbacks in this list, this season can be big for Carr as the Raiders have made some interesting moves in the offseason which could have a huge impact on him.