Derek Carr has proven that he belongs in the conversation as the next great quarterback in the NFL. Carr had an MVP-caliber 2016 NFL season before breaking his leg.
While the quarterback returned fully healthy for the start of the 2017 NFL campaign, he injured his back in Week 4 against the Denver Broncos. Carr only ended up missing one game, but according to Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area, the signal caller admitted the injury was an issue:
I had to deal with it,” Carr said. “I had to do certain things to manage it, but I just didn’t talk about it. I didn’t want it to be an excuse. It was a want more than anything else. I didn’t want it to be a reason. I couldn’t let that be a reason why I couldn’t do A, B or C.”
Despite his back injury, Carr was eventually named to the 2018 Pro Bowl roster as an alternate for New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Carr did not have the same command of the offense during the 2017 NFL season, but still showed he was able to be productive when on the field.
With Jon Gruden now at the helm, it will be interesting to see what he can do with Carr and the rest of the Raiders’ offense. Oakland will be one of the more interesting teams to monitor once the 2018 NFL season rolls around.
