It seems like every year, there’s some sort of rumor that the Raiders could move on from Derek Carr to upgrade at quarterback.
But General Manager Mike Mayock said earlier this offseason that he and head coach Jon Gruden would “stand shoulder to shoulder and pound the table” for Carr, particularly after a solid 2020 season. And while the relationship between Carr and Gruden has been the subject of plenty of rumors, Carr told Vinny Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal that it’s often misconstrued.
“What people don’t understand is how close we are. Not just football, but off the field,” Carr said.” Whether it’s him texting videos of his dog and what they’re doing, and I’m sending him videos of my kids hitting baseballs in their first game. People don’t understand that. And we’re going on four years together … But we honestly care about one another. We love one another. We grind together. He pushes me. I push him. It’s a great relationship. And I told him, man, I don’t want to play for anybody else. I’m playing for you. This has been the most fun playing quarterback I’ve ever had.”
Since Gruden took over as head coach, Carr has set career highs in passing yards each year — going from 4,049 to 4,054 to 4,103. He also threw 27 touchdowns and nine interceptions last season, good for a career-high 101.4 passer rating.
But the Raiders haven’t made it to the postseason, going 4-12, 7-9, and 8-8 in those three years.
It’s a good thing Carr and Gruden’s relationship is so strong, as the head coach doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere, and the quarterback said this week he’d probably quit before playing elsewhere.