Derek Carr has quietly been a strong quarterback since he came into the league. You don’t have to take my word for it, just look at his stats and compare them to some of the greats.
Through Carr’s first eight seasons he has a completion percentage of 65%, better than Brady’s 63% over his first 8 seasons as a starter. Carr has thrown for 31,700 yards, better than Russell Wilson’s 29,734 over the same time. The Raider QB has a passer rating of 92.4, better than Matthew Stafford’s 85.8 over the same period. Carr’s thrown 85 interceptions, better than the 110 Drew Brees threw over his first eight years. Derek has been sacked 237 times, far less than Big Ben’s 314 over his first 8 seasons.
Pair this with the fact that the Raiders have only had two years with a top 20 WR in Derek’s time on the team. Amari Cooper in 2015 and Amari Cooper again in 2016. Oh yeah, the Raiders were 12-4 that year and lost in the first round of the playoffs after Derek Carr broke his leg. Carr also has two games in his career with at least 30 attempts and a 90% completion percentage. Every other player in the NFL has combined for one.
Say what you will, but Derek Carr is a dangerously good quarterback. With the addition of Davante Adams and the great play of Waller and Renfrow, this should be Carr’s best year yet. Don’t sleep on the Raiders as a deep playoff contender.