You might assume the Oakland Raiders might be led at quarterback by Derek Carr when the team moves to Las Vegas, your assumptions could be very wrong, at least according to Mike Florio.
The Raiders ranked in the bottom third of the league in total offense during the 2018 season which led to a putrid record for Jon Gruden in his first year back with the franchise.
During free agency, the Raiders tried to help matters by trading for Antonio Brown, signing fellow wide receiver Tyrell Williams, using a first-round draft pick on running back Josh Jacobs, and signing offensive tackle Trent Brown. Only thing he was tasked to do was to protect New England Patriots QB Tom Brady.
Basically, Carr has no excuses for the upcoming season.
ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio believes this will be a make-or-break season for Carr, because if he doesn’t deliver in 2019, the onyl time he sees the city of Las Vegas is him buying a ticket or playing against the Raiders.
“Think of it this way,” Florio wrote. “If the chemistry experiment/Frankenstein monster that starts and ends with [Antonio Brown] fails, whose fault will it be? Brown’s? Nope. [Jon] Gruden’s? Nope. [Mike] Mayock’s? Nope. If the Raiders fail to get the most out of Antonio Brown, it will be the fault of the guy who will be under immense pressure to deliver the ball with the same underrated precision that Ben Roethlisberger delivered it for nine years in Pittsburgh.
“If Derek Carr can step up,” Florio continued, “great for him and the Raiders. If he can’t, he’ll quite possibly be the highest-profile member of the organization to not enjoy the freedom from paying state income tax that goes with moving from California to Nevada.”
Statistically, Derek Carr had a great 2018 season as he had career highs in completion percentage (68.9%), passing yards (4,049), and QB rating (93.9).
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Still, Carr will need to go over and beyond to prove to Jon Gruden he is worth keeping on this team and he can get the job done.
