Las Vegas Raiders: Derek Carr or 2022 NFL Draft class at QB?
Will the Las Vegas Raiders stick it out with Derek Carr or will they turn to the 2022 NFL Draft class at the quarterback position?
Since Jon Gruden was hired for a second stint as the head coach of the Raiders (then the Oakland Raiders, now the Las Vegas Raiders) in 2018, people have been trying to figure out as many ways as they can come up with for the team to move on from starting quarterback Derek Carr. Carr, a second-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, signed a five-year, $125 million extension back in 2017 prior to Gruden’s arrival.
That contract extension was based largely on the fact that with Carr at the helm, the Raiders went 12-4 in the 2016 season and reached the postseason. Carr threw 28 touchdowns and six interceptions in 15 games that season, and he had thrown 33 touchdowns the year prior.
Even with a slightly down year in 2017, the Raiders obviously figured that Carr would return into the high-20s, low-30s range per year in the touchdown department and have the team consistently in the postseason fray as a result.
Las Vegas Raiders: Derek Carr key stats since Gruden was hired
Since Jon Gruden was hired on as the team’s head coach, it’s been anything but rosy for the Las Vegas Raiders.
2018: 19 TDs, 10 INTs, 4-12 record
2019: 21 TDs, 8 INTs, 7-9 record
2020: 27 TDs, 9 INTs, 8-8 record
Clearly, things are clicking a bit better for Carr — statistically speaking — the more he’s worked with Jon Gruden. With two years remaining on his contract including the 2021 season, Las Vegas is going to be at a crossroads of sorts come the 2022 offseason and maybe 2022 NFL Draft.
Will the Las Vegas Raiders extend Derek Carr in the near future or pass on that opportunity and look to the 2022 NFL Draft?
As of this particular point in time, that’s incredibly difficult to say. The 2022 NFL Draft class is shaping up to at least be very interesting at the quarterback position. The 2022 NFL Draft order is currently not based on wins and losses, obviously, but betting odds for teams and where they are predicted to end up.
The Las Vegas Raiders are projected to pick 8th overall in the 2022 Draft, which would obviously mean a massive failure for the team in 2021.
In our latest first-round mock draft predictions, we have the Raiders taking Liberty QB Malik Willis with that pick.
Quarterback would undoubtedly have to be on the table if the Raiders are picking that high.
There have been some rumblings of an extension between Carr and the Raiders according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who spoke in a segment on SportsCenter over the Independence Day weekend.
If the Raiders extend Carr and then finish with the 8th-worst record in the league? Well, then they are stuck with him.
If Las Vegas doesn’t extend Derek Carr before the 2021 season, that could mean there’s a pretty good chance that they are planning on moving on from him after this season with no more dead money attached to his deal.
The 2022 NFL Draft class may give Jon Gruden something to think about, but up to this point, he hasn’t been able to “quit” Derek Carr, and with extension talks possibly in the works, he may never.