Derek Carr is playing some of the best football of his career. That’s been the case since the start of the 2019 season when he became a much more aggressive and efficient quarterback. His strong play has continued into the 2021 season as he leads the NFL in passing yards (by 125 yards) through two games.
Finally, people are starting to take notice. In a recent article by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, he spoke with several NFL coaches and decision-makers to discuss who are the league’s most underappreciated players.
Carr made the list as several people around the league believe he is on the verge of being a franchise quarterback. Here is what one NFL executive had to say about the league’s leading passer after two weeks:
“He’s smart, tough, mobile, knows where to go with it, can make all the throws. He’s been in several systems and has been productive in all of them.”
For the last few years, the general belief was that Carr was somewhere between the No. 13 and No. 20 quarterback in the NFL. But over the last 40 games, he’s performed closer to a top-five quarterback than a middle-of-the-pack passer.
Since Week 8 of the 2018 season, Carr has a passer rating of 100.4 and has averaged nearly 7.8 yards per attempt. He’s totaled 70 touchdowns to just 20 interceptions in those 44 games. However, he’s been even better as of late, averaging 8.11 YPA in his last 22 contests. He’s managed to continue to improve in every season under Jon Gruden.
If Carr can continue to play at this level for the rest of the 2021 season, the Raiders will be a shoo-in for the playoffs. He is playing like one of the very best quarterbacks in the league and that is a great sign for the Raider moving forward.