‘Derek is the voice of the Raiders.’ With Gruden gone, Carr has keys to new career arc
Derek Carr seems more at ease these days, and it’s more than the scruffy hair and beard.
The comfortable look carries over on the field. Carr is playing the best football of his life while leading a 5-2 Las Vegas Raiders team that shrugged off the Jon Gruden emails scandal as casually as a maple tree sheds leaves in the fall.
“Derek is the voice of the Raiders right now,” said Rich Bisaccia, the interim coach who is 2-0 since Gruden’s forced resignation. “Players always want to go to him, always want to listen to him. They ask him all kinds of things.”
Thanks to Carr’s newly amplified role, a rare opportunity now presents itself — even more rare than Raiders playoff appearances. The 30-year-old quarterback has the chance to rewrite the conventional wisdom regarding his NFL career.
That statement may sound strange to Fresno and central San Joaquin Valley ears, because around here Carr is revered. Yes, because of the records he set and conference titles he racked up at Fresno State. But in equal measure for his character and the way he treats people. No matter how he plays on Sundays, we’re Derek Carr devotees.
Eight years since he last suited up for the Bulldogs, Carr still gets the nod as the most popular “local” athlete. Jose Ramirez, Aaron Judge and Josh Allen also belong in the conversation, though in a couple of years the answer might be Jalen Green.
The national perception hasn’t been as lofty. Carr is regarded as a solid NFL signal-caller but a rung or two below elite. A widely respected annual ratings system (based on anonymous ballots from 50 NFL coaches and talent evaluators) ranked Carr at No. 15 heading into this season. Carr was the top vote-getter in Tier 3, defined by the author as “a legitimate starter but needs a heavier running game and/or defensive component to win.”
Despite three straight 4,000-yard seasons and a penchant for fourth-quarter comebacks, Carr has his share of detractors. They include a segment of Raiders fans who point to his 52-65 record as a starter and pocket anxiousness under duress, as recently expressed by a certain Los Angeles Chargers defensive end.
“Great dude, great player,” Joey Bosa said after the Chargers beat the Raiders in Week 4, “but we know once you get pressure on him, he kind of shuts down.”
Carr’s leadership keeps Raiders revving
After Gruden’s sudden Oct. 11 resignation following publication of his emails peppered with racist, homophobic and misogynistic language, many expected the Raiders to collapse as well.
Instead, they’ve recorded consecutive double-digit wins and exit their bye week leading the AFC West in a season when the Kansas City Chiefs are sputtering.
Carr has been at the center of it all, both on and off the field. Already one of the team’s most vocal players, he shouldered an even larger share of the leadership mantle while nearly setting an NFL accuracy record by completing 31 of 34 passes last week against the Philadelphia Eagles.
“When Coach Gruden walked into a room, all eyes were on him, and when we lost that, someone had to fill that void,” Carr said afterward. “It’s not only me, but obviously as the quarterback and leader and I’ve been here a while, I was like, ‘I’ve got to take that part of what I do to another level.’ “
Running back Josh Jacobs alluded to the Raiders’ sideline being a calmer place without the fiery Gruden “cussing at you or going crazy at the refs.” Some of that calmness seems to have rubbed off on Carr.
At one point during last Sunday’s game, Carr called a timeout with the play clock winding down and seemed completely at ease while sauntering toward the sideline. No Gruden to deal with once he got there, the difference in Carr’s body language was noticeable.
‘I think Derek Carr’s turned a corner’
CBS analyst Boomer Esiason asked former Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon, who also played for Gruden, if Carr might be more relaxed “because there is nobody yelling in his ear.”
“Maybe there’s some truth to that,” Gannon replied. “(Offensive coordinator) Greg Olson has been with him for a while. There is a relationship there. I think Derek Carr’s turned a corner.”
Besides 2016, Carr has spent his entire NFL career as a productive starter on bad and mediocre teams. No matter how well Carr played, it was never enough to make up for the Raiders’ roster deficiencies. This year has been the complete opposite. The more talent assembled around him, the better Carr has played.
And if the Raiders make the playoffs for only the second time since 2003, it’ll be the quarterback and “voice” who gets the lion’s share of the credit. Carr’s timing couldn’t be better. His current contract expires after next season.
But the playoff push comes first, as Carr made clear on a recent podcast hosted by one of his nephews.
“Once I’m in the season, don’t bring me none of that (contract) nonsense,” said Carr, looking and sounding relaxed. “I can go to Target, and my card won’t get declined.”
Raiders fans have been burned by promising starts before. Just last year, in fact. But something about this team’s adversity response feels different.
Starting with a more comfortable Carr in the driver’s seat.
This story was originally published November 1, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
