Camila Sosa
A few days ago, both Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders reached an agreement whereby the quarterback extended his contract with the organization for three years and a total value of $121.5 million, for which he will lead the team for the foreseeable future after helping the franchise reach the postseason in 2021 after a five-year absence.
However, the Raiders were unable to advance out of the wildcard round in that postseason after falling 19-26 to the Cincinnati Bengals, who would eventually be crowned AFC champions and reach the Super Bowl.
Derek Carr made some comments on Wednesday regarding questions about whether he could lead the team to a successful postseason campaign. “The question of ‘Can I win a playoff game’ is ridiculous …. just because we had a chance and lost in that series against the AFC champion? Yes, I think we can.”
“That just shows how close we came. But that said, 55% of the teams that made the playoffs, the next year didn’t make it. So the odds are against us. I like that kind of thought process better, so I’m going to keep the mindset that we’re underdogs.”
It’s worth mentioning that Derek Carr was also part of the Raiders roster that made the postseason in 2016, although he was unable to play in any games due to injury.
Derek Carr Will Have the Tools to Prove His Worth
However, this campaign will surely give the quarterback a chance to make good on his words, while he is looking to record a fifth consecutive NFL season with 4,000 or more yards per pass, as Las Vegas Raiders management brought in a high-caliber receiver in Davante Adams from the Green Bay Packers. Adams was called to the Pro Bowl the past five seasons and made the NFL All Pro first team in 2020 and 2021.
In addition, Derek Carr will have an offensive-minded head coach in Josh McDaniels, who served as offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots from 2012 to 2021 and excited many fans with his arrival to the team. In addition, he still has old acquaintances like running back Josh Jacobs, tight end Darren Waller and another wide receiver in Hunter Renfrow, who recorded 1,000 yards for the first time in his career last season.
“I know what I’m capable of. I know what our team is capable of and I’m excited to see it. Obviously we have to earn that playoff spot. I don’t know what we’ll be, the fifth seed or something like that. I hope we can achieve more than that this year. That’s always the goal. With this division, it’s going to be tough, but we’re excited to have that challenge,” added Derek Carr to his remarks.
Reason enough, since they will compete in the same division with the always-favored Kansas City Chiefs and against a possible contender like the Denver Broncos, who made one of the most talked about moves this offseason after signing quarterback Russell Wilson.
