Getty Jon Gruden & Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders.
How many times have we heard the rumor that Jon Gruden and Derek Carr don’t get along? It’s certainly been uttered a lot of times by a lot of different people. However, there’s been no indication from any players or coaches for the team that that’s actually the case. In fact, even former players for the Las Vegas Raiders have come out to say that the two men have a good relationship.
That hasn’t stopped many from suggesting that Las Vegas is headed for a Carr-Gruden divorce at some point. With the two about to head into a third season together, Mike Silver of NFL Network dropped a very interesting tidbit.
“In reality, Derek Carr has a very firm hold on this job, at least for this season,” Silver said Monday on the NFL Network. “My understanding in that building is Jon Gruden is more staunch on Derek Carr than the people in the owner’s box.”
That’s very different insight than what others have reported. Former NFL executive Michael Lombardi has been very loud about how Gruden and Carr don’t get along. At this point, it doesn’t seem like there’s much truth to those rumors. There have been so many opportunities to add a new starting quarterback and it just hasn’t happened.
Is Mark Davis out on Carr?
While it’s interesting to hear that Gruden is going to bat for his quarterback, it’s also eye-opening that there are “people in the owner’s box” who aren’t as sold on Carr. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean Mark Davis. He recently came out and praised the quarterback and has been very supportive of him.
Davis is the majority owner of the team but there are other people who hold stakes in the team. The “owner’s box” could mean a lot of things. It could be that general manager Mike Mayock isn’t sold on Carr or it could mean certain team executives. Regardless, if Davis and Gruden like Carr, he’s not going anywhere.
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Gruden Gets What He Wants
When Davis decided to give Gruden a massive 10-year contract, he handed over the keys to the Raiders. Though he’s not an owner or an executive, Gruden is going to get what he wants. If he wants the Raiders to sign Carr to a 10-year extension, they’re going to do it. If he wants to trade Carr before the start of the season and insert Marcus Mariota into the starting role, it’s going to happen.
Gruden perhaps has more power than any other coach in the NFL. Davis trusts him to build a winning franchise. If Gruden believes he can do that with Carr, he’s going to try. Despite an offseason full of rumors, it doesn’t sound like Carr is on a short leash. He’s never had a truly bad season and it’s unlikely to happen now. All he needs to do is lead the team to the playoffs and maybe the rumors will go away for a while.
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