Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr is often at the center of heated debates among fans. Recently, the sports media has been much more complimentary, with CBS Sports, for example, naming him one of the most underappreciated players.
Alongside Carr, Lamar Jackson was also included at the top of the list. The Baltimore Ravens quarterback is often the subject of debate too, for his own reasons. As for Carr, his listing isn’t much of a surprise. Whether you like him or not, most fans forget that he helped stabilize the quarterback position. Following Rich Gannon’s retirement after 2004, the Raiders went through a list of “who’s who” before landing Carr in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Going into the 2022 season, expectations are sky-high for Carr and the Raiders.
Jeff Kerr from CBS Sports, who generated this list, had the following to say about Carr’s career up to this point.
“Derek Carr always seems to be a target of criticism because of his 57-70 career record with the Raiders, even though he’s been a top 10-to-15 quarterback in the league for most of his career. His 17,410 passing yards are fourth in the league during that span while his 68.7% completion rate is second in the league amongst quarterbacks with over 1,000 attempts. The Raiders’ all-time passing leader, Carr has 31,700 passing yards since the start of 2014 — fourth in the NFL.”
Where does Derek Carr rank among NFL quarterbacks?
Where exactly Carr ranks among his quarterback brethren is a hot topic. His individual achievements are remarkable. He already owns most of the Raiders’ passing records and consistently tops NFL passing categories each year. Unfortunately, his team hasn’t experienced the same level of success. That’s attributed to several factors that, for the most part, were beyond Carr’s control. The only exceptions were in 2016, during which Carr played near an MVP level and helped lead the Raiders back to the postseason. It was only until last season that the Raiders finally returned to the playoffs.
Heading into this season, all eyes are on Carr once again. The AFC West is stacked at the quarterback position following Russell Wilson’s arrival with the Denver Broncos this offseason. To that end, Kerr ranks Carr as the fourth best signal-caller in the West.
“While Carr may be the fourth-best quarterback in his own division, that doesn’t mean he’s bad. Plenty of teams would take Carr as their quarterback.”
Essentially, Carr is a top 15 quarterback, maybe 10. But not the best one in his division; in fact, the fourth-best. What are your thoughts, Raider Nation?
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*Top Photo: Sports Illustrated