The 2019 NFL Draft had the potential to be a huge turning point for the Oakland Raiders. With three first round picks including the number four overall, this draft could be remembered as the beginning of the Raiders’ rise to greatness.
As with almost any Raiders news story, rumors surrounded the team and quarterback Derek Carr heading into the draft. The Raiders had shipped off nearly every other significant player the past year and looked to be in rebuilding mode.
With that in mind, rumors of a potential trade of Carr made sense. However, according to Jerry McDonald of the Mercury News, Carr never believed the rumors that the team would draft a quarterback to replace him:
“When I watched the draft, there was like a negative 47 percent of a chance they were going to draft (a quarterback) in my mind . . . I’m honestly going to be here a long time,” Carr said. “Hope that’s OK with you guys, but you’ve got to get used to me.”
Carr has been very consistent in his five seasons with the Raiders. He finished in the top 10 last season for pass completion percentage, finishing with a career-high 68.9%.
This year with a real receiving threat in Antonio Brown, it will be interesting to watch Carr’s progress. Carr was inked to a five-year, $125 million contract in 2017 and will likely play out the length of that. However, with the team heading to Las Vegas next season, they could go with a new look.
Carr, however, is very confident that he will be with the team for a long time. He stated that he plans to play with the Raider “as long as he wants.” Carr will need to prove it on the field this year before he can decide his own future.
Despite his accuracy in 2018, Carr was only able to convert on 19 touchdowns. Bringing in Brown, Tyrell Williams and Hunter Renfrow, among others, should help Carr share the load and hopefully bring in consistency in the passing game for Carr and the Raiders.
