Getty Las Vegas Raiders QB Derek Carr.
It’s been weeks since the Las Vegas Raiders hired Josh McDaniels as head coach but quarterback Derek Carr has avoided addressing the news. His brother David came out previously and said that he approved of the hire but he hadn’t said anything himself. In some situations, that may have been a cause for concern but Carr isn’t known to always welcome new coaches or players on social media.
He prefers to handle those matters privately. However, Carr couldn’t avoid the McDaniels question forever and he’s finally had a chance to speak out on it. The quarterback offered his thoughts on how McDaniels and new general manager Dave Ziegler have been since they were hired by the team.
“They’ve been super awesome. They’ve been great,” Carr said of McDaniels and Ziegler to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I’m just looking forward to getting to know them. We’re doing the whole business relationship thing, but hopefully, we can get our families together and start getting to know each other and start building that unity that we had last year.”
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Carr Was a Loud Supporter of Rich Bisaccia
One concern during the Raiders’ coaching search was how Carr might react to the eventual hire. He was clear in his support of interim head coach Rich Bisaccia getting the full-time job. The team decided to go in a different direction but everything seems like smooth sailing so far.
Carr should be happy with the McDaniels hire as he’s an offensive-minded head coach. He’s going to do what he can to make sure that Carr is in the best position to succeed. While Bisaccia did an admirable job with the Raiders last season, it was difficult for owner Mark Davis to know if he could lead the organization going forward. At the very least, McDaniels will get the offense in a really good place, which has to be exciting for Carr. There are few hires the team could’ve made that would be better for the quarterback.
Josh McDaniels on committing to the Raiders and Derek Carr.
How Long Will the McDaniels-Carr Marriage Last?
The early signs point to Carr and McDaniels having a fruitful relationship. The coach has already offered strong praise for the quarterback and suggested that he is a player he can build around. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport has even reported that the two sides hope to agree to a contract extension this offseason. If a deal actually gets done, it will be a clear message that McDaniels believes he can win with Carr.
However, until a contract is done, there will be questions. Carr’s trade value might never be higher than it is right now. If a team like the Washington Commanders offers multiple first-round picks for the quarterback, could McDaniels and Ziegler refuse? They’d have to be very high on Carr to refuse that type of offer. It’s not easy finding a franchise quarterback and McDaniels is aware of that. Not having a good quarterback was his underdoing when he was the head coach of the Denver Broncos. After trading away Jay Cutler right when he got that job, it’s hard to imagine he’ll repeat the same mistakes.
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