Until Derek Carr can lead the Las Vegas Raiders to the playoffs, there are going to be rumors that the team is going to move on from him. Based on recent rumors, he may not even get a shot to take the team over the hump. The most recent name who been linked to the Raiders is the future Hall of Famer Tom Brady. He was seen with Mark Davis at UFC 246 and that led many to believe he could be wearing silver and black in 2020.
Carr had to deal with myriad rumors last offseason and he’s already heard a bunch of them this offseason. He’s clearly tired of hearing about them and specifically addressed Davis’ meeting with Brady at the fight.
“I mean, there was a lot of quarterbacks at that fight,” Carr said, per Paul Gutierrez at ESPN. “And there was a lot of football players at that fight that are free agents. And it’s like, every time, with my job, it’s always a story. No matter what. And knowing some people that were around, I even know what the conversation was [between Davis and Brady], and it’s like, ‘C’mon, man, when’s it going to end?'”
It’s easy to understand Carr’s frustration. The Raiders were on the cusp of a playoff berth and he was much better statistically in 2019 than he was in 2018. At this point in his career, it’s hard to believe Brady would be an upgrade over Carr.
Carr Plans to Finish Career With Raiders
Despite the barrage of rumors, Carr is trying to not let them affect him. The Raiders just made the move to Las Vegas official and he plans to stick around for a long time. He believes the team just keeps getting better.
“All of these things that [you’d think] everyone would be like, ‘Yes, we’re going the right way. Everything’s getting better, and we know where we need to add things and where we [need] help.’ You would think that that would be the story. But that’s not how it works. And I understand that now,” Carr said.
“Especially when people are seen with certain people. It’s like, ‘Oh, gosh. Well, I was at dinner with [Davis] last night. Does that count for anything?’ Golly. It’s just funny. But I’m used to it now. But I’ll say it this way: I look forward to taking the first snap in that stadium, and I look forward to taking every snap from here on out — until I’m done.”
Obviously, Carr has more insight than a lot of people. The team won’t tell him if they’re moving on until it happens, but it’s possible that it’s just a bunch of smoke.
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Mike Mayock Remains Non-Committal
Though Carr seems confident he’ll be back, that doesn’t change the fact that both Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock have been somewhat non-committal on the quarterback’s future. Speaking with Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Mayock still wouldn’t commit to Carr for 2020.
“I don’t think Antonio Brown or the wide receivers really change how we view [the quarterback position],” Mayock said. “I think the challenge at every position is to go in and evaluate the guy and be fair. Be fair to the guy and be fair to the organization. And what I try to tell people, and it’s a boring answer but it’s the way I approach my job, is that every year I’m going to evaluate every position. And if we think we can improve that position, we will. And if we think we can’t, we won’t. And that’s how I look at the quarterback position.”
Mayock’s comments aren’t necessarily damning, but the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens definitely aren’t evaluating their quarterback position. Carr should still be considered a top-20 quarterback in the NFL, but he needs to do better in 2020 if they’re going to keep him further. It feels like he’s safe for 2020, but his leash is getting shorter.
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Raiders’ Derek Carr Has Strong Words Regarding Tom Brady Rumors