Raiders QB Derek Carr cannot keep letting his brother David go bat for him

The Las Vegas Raiders decided not long ago that it’s time to move on from quarterback Derek Carr in the offseason. Although he is still on the roster, he agreed to step away from the team for the last two weeks of the regular season to avoid any potential distractions. Opinions are divided on how the Raiders handled the benching but to no one’s surprise, his brother David, an analyst at NFL Media, wasn’t pleased. Not one bit.

Not long after Carr’s demotion, David took went on a rant on NFL Network and talked about how the Raider never truly appreciated his younger brother.

David says that Derek Carr never complained in spite of the franchise’s lack of consistency and adds that he was the one that made the Davante Adams trade possible earlier this year. Moreover, he says his brother is no longer contemplating retiring after saying a few years ago that the Raiders would be the only team he would only play for.

Here’s the clip of David bashing the Raider for not doing nearly enough for his brother Derek.

https://twitter.com/NFLGameDay/status/1610075956508774401?s=20&t=nNfMEbOtt2LRXUc0dngrDA

David Carr has valid points about the Raiders but his bias is clear

When discussing Carr’s benching, David does bring up some valid points. The Raiders should definitely shoulder some of the blame. Their track record in the draft over the last 20 years is subpar and ever since they drafted Derek Carr, they’ve had six different head coaches.

On the other hand, David wasn’t being objective. Not once did he mention that Carr leads the league in lost fumbles since 2014. David never talked about Carr missing routine throws or that he had a pretty talented wide receiver corps in 2022. Yet, he had one of the worst seasons of his NFL career. Simply, the California native wasn’t the biggest issue on the team but he showed he wasn’t part of the solution either.

And while it’s true that Carr holds pretty much every meaningful team record and has been the best quarterback Las Vegas has had in the last 20 years, those records were set nearly 50 years ago. Precisely because the Raiders haven’t had many great quarterbacks over the last few decades, Carr was able to break most of them with relative ease.

Moreover, David is making it sound as if Carr was in the same echelon as Patrick Mahomes, Drew Brees, and Peyton Manning when that’s not the case. At his best, the former Fresno Bulldog was an above-average quarterback that needed a great supporting cast to succeed.

That was the case in 2016 when Carr had the best year of his career. the Raiders had playmakers such as edge rusher Khalil Mack, wide receiver Amari Cooper and an offensive line with three Pro Bowlers. Conversely, he struggles whenever his surroundings were less than optimal and have never been fully capable of maximizing his skillset or his supporting cast

Raiders QB Derek Carr can’t let his brother fight his fights

This isn’t the first time David rushes to Derek Carr’s defense. Back in 2021, former wide receiver Henry Ruggs III killed a young woman and her dog in a car accident. Instead of paying respect to the situation, David made it about his brother and how he was underappreciated.

"When the Raiders make the Super Bowl, I will argue, successfully I might add that not only is Derek the MVP, I will make the case that there has NEVER been a more valuable player."

Spoiler alert, Las Vegas didn’t make the Super Bowl and David must’ve realized how poor his statement and its timing were because he deleted it not long after posting it.

It’s perfectly normal for David to stand up for his sibling, most people would. But he’s paid to share his football takes not to defend his brother on national TV. Carr is a grown man and doesn’t need his brother to stand in his corner. While he’s not responsible for what David says, he should speak for himself. You don’t see Ciara criticizing the Denver Broncos when her husband Russell Wilson struggles. Similarly, Kristin Cavallari never blasted the Chicago Bears whenever Jay Cutler threw an interception.

Football players are tough, they need to be. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gotten that far and David must understand that he doesn’t need to shield his brother from criticism. That’s what good siblings do but that’s not what you expect from an NFL analyst.