The man who represents his competition for the title of best receiver in the NFL, Cooper Kupp (4,082). Over the past three seasons, only one player has racked up more receiving yards than Adams’ 3,924.

It is extremely difficult to overstate the importance of Adams’ acquisition.

on offense, undoubtedly the most talented supporting cast of his career. Now with McDaniels at the helm, Carr has a head coach to maximize his skill set and, with Adams joining Waller and Co. He deserves great credit for continuing to thrive in a season that saw head coach Jon Gruden resign in disgrace and the Raiders playing the majority of the season under the interim leadership of Rich Bisaccia. Carr achieved those feats despite tight end Darren Waller missing six games of the season and the Raiders losing wide receiver Henry Ruggs III after his November arrest. Tom Brady (75) was the sole quarterback to end the season with more. None of the eight quarterbacks to average more air yards per attempt than Carr’s 8.29 had a superior well-thrown percentage, his ability to blend ball placement and downfield upside further illustrated by his 67 completions of 20 yards or more in 2021. Trailing only Joe Burrow and Ryan Tannehill, he delivered an accurate, well-thrown ball on 81.6% of his passes. The timing of Carr’s reunion with former Fresno State teammate Adams could hardly be better, as he is coming off arguably the finest season of his career.Īmong quarterbacks with at least 200 pass attempts, Carr finished third in well-thrown percentage. With Adams added to an already exciting cast of offensive weapons, Carr has all the tools to definitively prove that, for the Raiders, he has always been the best man for the job. In Josh McDaniels, they have paired him with one of the league’s premier offensive minds and, by acquiring college teammate Davante Adams in a blockbuster trade with the Green Bay Packers last week, the Raiders have given Carr the wide receiver many consider to be the class of the league. Las Vegas has also previously been seen as a destination for Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson but, while the Raiders will get to see new Denver Broncos quarterback Wilson up close twice a season, they are firmly tied to Carr, and have this offseason done an excellent job of setting him up for success. In efforts to end that wait, there have been reported dalliances with other quarterbacks by the Raiders, most notably with Tom Brady before he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. Yet there are plenty of quarterbacks who excel at compiling stats and, for as tedious as the debate around whether wins should be considered a quarterback stat (they shouldn’t) is, part of the reason for Carr’s lack of recognition compared to his contemporaries is that he has not been able to elevate the Raiders, either in Oakland or now Las Vegas, to a playoff win. His 247 passing plays of 25 yards or more is a tally bettered by only four quarterbacks over the same timeframe. After that, all that remains is winning – in an incredibly difficult AFC West.ĭerek Carr has spent his entire career trying to convince the Raiders, and indeed the wider NFL universe that he is good enough.įew quarterbacks to have been as consistent as Carr have inspired such little confidence, his name rarely mentioned among the top players at the NFL’s most important position despite him compiling some impressive numbers since arriving in the league.ĭrafted in the second round in 2014, Carr has thrown for 31,700 yards in his career, the fourth-most in the league in that span. His college teammate has arrived, his contract negotiations are underway. The question that remains is whether Derek Carr will ever reach such status. But great quarterbacks frequently find ways to deal with imperfect parts. With the addition of Davante Adams, the offensive weapons are there.

Derek carr stats 2014