One of the biggest storylines surrounding the Las Vegas Raiders was what was going on with Derek Carr’s hair. The quarterback typically kept a buzzcut but decided to let it grow out throughout the entire season. The longhaired look came as such a surprise that even Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams reached out to Carr to try and help him get a haircut.
The quarterback held strong all season until his hair was starting to rival Ken Stabler’s in length. However, the haircut wasn’t sustainable. Carr recently revealed that he cut his hair in order to appease his wife but had not shown it off yet.
BREAKING: @derekcarrqb has apparently decided to cut his hair.
That’s changed now as Carr has finally revealed the new look. Appearing on ABC News in Las Vegas, the quarterback showed off the shorter hair. Notably, he did not go back to a buzzcut and went for more of a crew-cut look.
Raiders QB Derek Carr giving young Raiders fan and GMA kids correspondents for the Super Bowl Anaya a congratulatory message, new haircut and all. t.co/bnp0iuyO4a #vegas #raiders #RaiderNation
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Carr Blames A.J. Cole for Longhair Phase
It was certainly odd that Carr decided to finally grow his hair out after seven years in the NFL. Apparently, he only did it to prove punter A.J. Cole wrong.
“This is (his) fault,” Carr said of Cole, via The Athletic. “This is honestly just because he said I’ll give up. I think this is a perfect segue into (how) we didn’t give up this season. Just because he told me I’d quit is the only reason my hair hasn’t been cut since training camp.”
Cole himself sported a longhaired look this season but he’s always had a good amount of hair. Now that Carr has embraced a crew-cut look, it will be worth watching to see if he sticks with or eventually goes back to the buzzcut.
Carr Hoping Raiders Grow After Early Playoff Exit
Whether it was due to the long hair or not, Carr was playing with a lot more aggression this season. It was a big reason the Raiders won 10 games and made it to the playoffs. Unfortunately, the improbable run ended early as the team lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Though the Raiders obviously wanted to keep playing, Carr thinks that the team now has a lot to build on.
“There was this feeling of, ‘Yeah, we’re upset, but we can really do this,’” Carr said after the game. “Were we the most talented team in the world? No, probably not. But this is the closest, best team I’ve ever been on. I have a lot of best friends that were on other teams, but as a whole, I’ve never seen a team like this.
“It’s, ‘Hey, I got your back; let’s move on.’ It’s kind of similar to how we would come in every Monday. Whether we won or lost, it was: ‘Hey, who cares? Next.’ If we won: ‘Great, who cares? Next.’ We lost — we care a little bit more because it’s over — but, ‘Next.’ Just continual growth. A lot of guys you see get to this point and then they just fall off. The work stops. It was so much work, and you fall short, and it’s either going to push you or drive you the other way.
“And I think it’s going to push this group.”
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Raiders QB Derek Carr Reveals New Haircut