Can Raiders’ Derek Carr win NFL MVP? One bettor thinks so, but it’s up to this position
One bettor is banking on Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr to deliver this season.
According to Caesars Sportsbook, an Arizona bettor bet $1,000 on Carr to win the NFL MVP during the 2022 season.
Caesars lists Carr at +3500, while other betting sites list different odds.
DraftKings has Carr +2800, while Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is listed as the favorite at +700 followed by Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady (+800), Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (+900) and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (+1,000).
If Carr wins his first MVP, the bettor would potentially win $35,000, Caesars said.
Perhaps the bettor figured new Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams will help make that happen. Adams this week was named Madden’s 99 overall player for a third straight year.
Adams helped Rodgers win the league’s highest honor in back-to-back seasons in Green Bay after Adams finished with a career-high 1,553 yards in 2021. He also finished with 11 touchdowns.
In 2020, Adams finished with a league-high 18 touchdowns.
In those two seasons, Rodgers totaled 8,414 passing yards and 85 touchdowns, including 48 touchdowns in 2020.
The Raiders acquired Adams from the Green Bay Packers in March, reuniting him with Carr after both starred in college at Fresno State.
Speaking of career-highs, Carr passed for a career-high 4,804 yards in 2021 without having a true No. 1 receiver and a steady offensive line.
Question remains on offensive line
Carr could benefit from having Adams, but it comes down to protecting Carr and giving him enough time to find one of his receivers like Adams or Hunter Renfrow.
Sure, Carr has plenty of weapons going into this season, but the offensive line struggled the first half of the season before improving during the stretch run that led to the playoffs.
The offensive line will be key for the Raiders as training camp opens up this week. The Raiders didn’t make any significant moves during free agency to help shore up the line, but will welcome back guard Denzelle Good after he missed the majority of last season because of an ACL injury.
Outside of left tackle Kolton Miller and center Andre James, starting jobs are up for grabs on the offensive line during training camp.
For Carr to have a big season and win an NFL MVP, the offensive line has to deliver and give him time to throw.
Even with weaknesses on the line, Carr still produced last season, so perhaps the bettor has trust in Carr.
Raiders rookies reported to camp on Monday followed by the veterans on Wednesday. Practice will begin in Henderson, Nevada on Thursday.
Tough AFC West
Carr understands it’s going to be tough in the AFC West.
With quarterbacks such as Mahomes, Russell Wilson in Denver and Justin Herbert in San Diego, he realizes it will be a battle.
“We’re getting ready to compete against a really tough division and there’s gonna be a lot of challenging games,” Carr told The Bee. ”So there’s a lot of work that needs to be done.”
Carr said he’s been on the golf course with Adams and Renfrow many times and “just getting around each other, creating that chemistry and that unity that we’re gonna need for when the game gets serious.”
“When it’s at the end of the game and we need that play, we have that trust and that built-in relationship already.”
