Here’s something to brighten up the mood of Raiders fans heading into the offseason: Derek Carr is really, really good.
How good? When it comes to passing touchdowns in the first two seasons of his career, Carr is second only to Dan Marino.
Marino had an incredible start to his career, passing for 20 touchdowns in 1983 and then setting a new NFL record with 48 touchdown passes in 1984. His total of 68 touchdown passes in his first two seasons obliterated the previous mark (set by Fran Tarkenton, who had 40 touchdown passes in 1961-62) and has never even been approached since.
But Carr, who passed for 21 touchdown passes as a rookie in 2014 and 32 touchdown passes last year, now has the best total for any player to start a career since Marino. Carr surpasses Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson, who each had 52 touchdown passes in their first two seasons.
Mentioned alongside Marino, Manning and Wilson, Carr is starting his career in some very good company.