As we enter this lull between offseason activities and the beginning of training camp, it is a wonderful time to examine and reflect on key moments and figures in Las Vegas Raiders history. Given his recent retirement, it naturally feels like a great time to look back on the illustrious and often controversial career of Derek Carr.
We will explore why Carr was such a polarizing figure within Raider Nation. Furthermore, we will look at both the highs and lows of his Raiders tenure. Finally, we will pin down how exactly Carr should be remembered by Raider Nation.
Who remembers the Carr Wars?
Some may say that the internet is not real life. While it’s true that the internet doesn’t reflect real life, the words expressed there hold lasting power. Whenever someone searches for Carr’s name on Google, they will undoubtedly encounter controversy. Almost every Raider Nation member has formed a strong opinion in one way or another.
It is not surprising. In the nine years Carr spent with the team, the Raiders were very enigmatic. In his time, the Raiders have had some of their best seasons of this century… and some of their worst. Through all the ups and downs, the Raiders made a litany of changes to the roster, the coaching staff, and the front office. Being the only constant, Carr receives the majority of both praise and scrutiny.
To some, Carr was the savior that fans had long hoped for, believing it was the organization that ultimately let him down. To others, he was frustratingly just good enough to keep the team stuck in mediocrity for nearly a decade. Let’s explore each narrative to uncover the truth behind them.
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The Good
In the decade prior to Carr’s arrival, the Raiders struggled to find competent quarterback play and floundered because of it. In that span, they did not have a single winning season. Although Carr’s NFL career began slowly during the team’s rebuilding phase, by year three, both Carr and the Raiders were thriving. The team went 12-4, made the playoffs, and Carr was even looking like an MVP candidate prior to his week 15 injury.
While Carr and the Raiders were never quite able to rekindle the magic of 2016, he still had several other strong seasons statistically, and the team did return to the playoffs in 2021, losing a close game to the eventual AFC champion Bengals. During his Raiders tenure, Carr also was a four-time Pro Bowler, averaged just under 4,000 yards passing per season, and threw more than twice as many touchdowns as interceptions.
Keep in mind, Carr did all of this with four different head coaches, three different general managers, and endless roster turnover. Yet, for the majority of Carr’s career with the Raiders, there was a certain expectation within Raider Nation that the team would contend. For most of the 10 years prior to Carr’s arrival and the two years following his departure, this was an unattainable expectation.
However, with great expectations comes great pressure…
The Bad
While Carr may have helped raise expectations, the fan base was routinely disappointed when he and the team regularly failed to live up to them. In his nine seasons with the team, the Raiders made the playoffs twice and did not win a single postseason game. The Raiders also had six losing seasons during this period and Carr himself had a QB record of 63-79 with the team.
The personal statistics are not all that impressive either. While Carr’s touchdown-to-interception ratio is solid, he averaged less than 25 touchdown passes per season. Furthermore, he led the league in fumbles twice. Outside of 2016, Carr was never more than an above-average quarterback on his best days.
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This is where fans get frustrated. It is not that Carr was ever terrible, but he was never good enough to carry the team like many other quarterbacks, even ones that are not necessarily “elite,” can. On top of it, Carr’s play was never that exciting. He rarely made plays out of structure. While he may not have thrown many interceptions, there were many times when fans may have preferred that to some painful throwaways. This inability to create big plays on his own is what leads many fans to credit the successes under Carr to the rest of the team while blaming the failures on the quarterback himself.
So, which is it? Did Carr lift the Raiders out of the depths of Hell, or did he keep the organization trapped in Purgatory? How should we remember him?
Final Verdict From A Raiders Observer
Carr’s performance on the field and the team’s outcomes during his time should not define his legacy. Focusing solely on these aspects leads to subjective debates, which many of us are tired of having. One undeniable fact from the Carr era is the shift in expectations that followed his debut in the Silver and Black.
During the years of quarterbacks like Aaron Brooks, Andrew Walter, JaMarcus Russell, and others who filled the gaps between Rich Gannon and Derek Carr, winning seasons and playoff appearances seemed like distant dreams. However, Carr’s arrival made those aspirations seem within reach. While success was not frequent, the significant change was that the fan base began to feel justified frustration during losing seasons, rather than the indifference that accompanied watching players like Terrelle Pryor and Matt McGloin.
Carr’s tenure with the Raiders should be viewed as a pivotal moment for the franchise. Though it wasn’t all perfect, he provided the team with much-needed stability at the most crucial position, allowing them to take meaningful steps toward becoming a competitive franchise once again. Nearly a decade of being on the brink of contention under Carr has also helped revitalize the Raiders’ Commitment to Excellence.
*Top Photo: Ramble Illustration/Getty Images