There were many problems during Jon Gruden’s second tenure as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, but one of the highlights was the work he did with Derek Carr. While the quarterback was an MVP candidate a couple of years before Gruden got there, he looked like a broken player after a string of injuries seemed to rattle his confidence.
Carr was able to get back to playing high-end football under the coach, which was interesting, considering many thought the two would have a personality clash. The opposite turned out to be true.
Even though there were rumors every offseason that Gruden was going to replace Carr, he never drafted a quarterback in his four drafts with the team. To this day, Carr and Gruden are very close.
The former quarterback joined Maxx Crosby’s podcast to discuss the relationship.
“It was such a great relationship, and it led to, obviously us playing well and all that, but it led to a lifelong relationship,” Carr said of Gruden on “The Rush” podcast. “Seriously, if I ever called him, it rings maybe one time … it’s not even a hesitation, he answers the phone and whatever we need to talk about, we talk about.”
Carr Addresses Gruden’s Resignation
We’ll never know if Gruden was getting the Raiders back on track. The team had a strong start to the 2021 season, and it looked like they were finally figuring things out until the coach had to resign after some previous emails he sent that contained racist, misogynistic and homophobic language were leaked by the media.
Rich Bisaccia took over, and the Raiders ended up making the playoffs. At the time, many players were devastated to lose Gruden in such dramatic fashion. Despite the controversial words that he shared in those emails, Carr continues to stand by the coach.
“I love the man,” Carr said. “Obviously, when he had his thing, I had the quote, I said, ‘You love the man, you hate the sin.’ It sucks that that happened. It sucks that we had to lose him that way, but I’ll love that man forever, and he knows that.”
Is Carr Done Playing?
It wasn’t long ago that Carr and Gruden looked like the long-term future for the Raiders. Had he not resigned, it’s possible that they’re both still with the team.
Last year, Carr decided to retire from the NFL due to a shoulder injury. However, he’s healthy now and was flirting with the idea of making a comeback this offseason.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the right team ever came calling. The problem facing him is that he’s still under contract with the New Orleans Saints, so a team would have to trade for him. For now, it looks like Carr won’t be playing this season.
Now, if there’s a high-profile injury, a desperate team could try to convince him to come out of retirement. A desperate enough team would likely be willing to trade with the Saints. It’s possible that he’ll be back on the field this season, but that’s far from a guarantee.
Derek Carr Gets Honest About Relationship With Jon Gruden