Odds Say 2020 Will Be Derek Carr’s Last Year as Starting Quarterback for Raiders
- Odds have been set on whether Derek Carr will be the Las Vegas Raiders’ starting quarterback in 2021
- Carr has been the starter since being drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft in 2014
- The Raiders signed Marcus Mariota, who was the second pick in the 2015 draft, as a free agent
At the beginning of training camp, Derek Carr told reporters he was tired of being disrespected.
Well, the oddsmakers certainly are not showing Carr much respect. In fact, odds have been set indicating Carr will not be the Las Vegas Raiders’ starting quarterback in 2021.
Odds of Derek Carr Being Raiders’ Starting QB in 2021
| Prop | Odds |
|---|---|
| No | -140 |
| Yes | +110 |
Odds taken Sept. 3
Big Stats, Few Wins
Carr is already the Raiders’ all-time leader in completions and passing yardage through his first six seasons.
However, quarterbacks are judged as much on winning percentage as completion percentage. The Raiders are just 39-55 in games started by Carr.
Carr has appeared in only one playoff game. That came in 2016 when the Raiders lost to the Houston Texans in an AFC wild-card game.
That has left some Raiders’ fans impatient.
https://twitter.com/iHazCopperr/status/1301246596919603200
Since going 12-4 that season, the Raiders have posted records of 6-10, 4-12, and 7-9.
Furthermore, the Raiders have scored fewer than 20 points per game in each of those three seasons. Their 19.6 average last year ranked 24th among the 32 NFL teams.
The Gruden Effect
Carr was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2016 and 2017. Many analysts thought he would take his game to the next level when Jon Gruden replaced Jack Del Rio as coach prior to the 2018 season.
Gruden had a long history of developing quarterbacks until leaving coaching to spend ten years as part of the Monday Night Football broadcast team.
Gruden can also be impatient with QBs
Jon Gruden absolutely laying into Nathan Peterman.
“We’re running out of time… my life is running out of lifespan.” pic.twitter.com/zWlyEqZqUd
— Bradley Gelber (@BradleyGelber) August 28, 2020
While Carr’s statistics have gotten better under Gruden, the Raiders are still losing and having difficulty scoring. Carr had a 93.9 passer rating in Gruden’s first season, completing 68.9 percent of his passes for 4,049 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions.
Last year, Carr’s passer rating rose to 100.8. He had a 70.4 completion percentage, 4,054 yards, 21 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
Carr said he felt he played better in 2020 than the playoff season of 2016 but also admitted at the start of camp this year that he has a lot to prove to the organization.
Potential Replacements
If the Raiders look to move on from Carr, their internal options are Marcus Mariota and Nathan Peterman.
Signed as a free agent in the offseason, Mariota won the Heisman Trophy in 2014 while playing for Oregon. The Tennessee Titans then used the second pick in the 2015 NFL Draft on Mariota.
However, Mariota did not turn into a franchise quarterback. He was benched after six games last season and Ryan Tannehill stepped in at QB, leading the Titans to the playoffs.
https://twitter.com/MandaloreTitan/status/1284561373859586056
Peterman started two games for the Buffalo Bills as a rookie in 2017 and two more the next season. However, he never saw the field last season in his first year with the Raiders.
The Raiders might also try to “Tank for Trevor” and hopefully get the first pick in the draft and select Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. However, that seems unlikely to happen to under the watch of Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock.
Adding Some Speed
The Raiders got Carr help in this year’s draft, taking speedy wide receivers with three of their first four selections – Alabama’s Henry Ruggs III, Kentucky’s Lynn Bowden Jr, and South Carolina’s Bryan Edwards.
38% of Henry Ruggs III catches resulted in a 15+ yard play.
Highest rate in CFB.
(📸 @Raiders) pic.twitter.com/mSXeDWa2Cy
— PFF College (@PFF_College) August 27, 2020
Offensive coordinator Greg Olson is also encouraging Carr to use athletic ability more often by extending plays or running the ball.
By all accounts, Carr has also had a strong camp.
Carr has been a fixture since the Raiders chose him in the second round of the 2014 draft. Yet while his contract runs through 2022, the Raiders owe him just $2.9 million in guaranteed money after this year.
Thus, it will be easy for the Raiders to part ways and give Gruden the opportunity to develop a quarterback of his choosing in 2021.
Pick: No (-140)
John Perrotto has been covering and writing about sports for various outlets for over 40 years. His work has appeared in the likes of USA TODAY, ESPN.com, SI.com, Forbes.com, The Associated Press, Baseball Digest, and more. John is based out of Beaver Falls, PA.
