Putting on the silver and black of the Oakland Raiders makes any player apart of a legacy that few other teams have. With a dedicated and die-hard fanbase, Raiders greats are revered like few others.
For starting quarterback Derek Carr, he hopes to become one of those players. After only five seasons, Carr is already in the conversation as a Raiders great.
Recently, Carr sat down with ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio during the preseason to discuss his hopes for his Raiders career, via Raiders.com:
“You know, this is something I dreamed of as a kid. When I grew up, it was Cowboys and Raiders. That’s all I knew. I want to leave a legacy here. I don’t want to just be someone that – ‘oh he used to play here.’ I want to be one of those guys that when you think of the Raiders, I’m one of those guys they think about and that’s why I just continually give this city and this organization every bit of my energy.”
Although the Raiders team success has been volatile with Carr at the helm, his stats have been undeniably good. Through his five seasons played, the 28-year-old has put up 18,739 passing yards and 122 passing touchdowns, good for second and third-best in Raiders history.
This year, Carr has the potential to move ahead of Raiders all-time passing leader, Ken Stabler. Stabler played with the Raiders between 1970 and 1979, putting up a whopping 19,078 passing yards and 150 passing touchdowns.
With only 339 yards to go until he breaks the record, Carr is hoping to do it with poise:
“Honestly, [passing Ken Stabler’s passing yard record] that gives me goose bumps . Sal I’ll tell you what, that was my dad’s favorite player growing up, that’s all I heard about growing up. The Snake, that was it. My uncle was here with him in training camp, played tight end. Those guys, they love him and to be in that position and that conversation to take that next step, I will do it with honor, with respect, with gratitude to his family and just to honor him. I wish that we could have just one dinner, that him and I could sit down, hear him talk, tell stories, ask questions.”
Over his career, Carr has averaged 240 passing yards per game. If he keeps pace with that, it is likely that he will pass Stabler in the Raiders Week 2 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. With Patrick Mahomes manning the Chiefs offense, it should prove to be an electrifying game.
