Derek Carr retires, leaves behind a confusing legacy with Raiders

On Saturday, the New Orleans Saints released startling news on the status of quarterback Derek Carr.

According to a news release from the team, Carr is retiring from the NFL after 11 seasons in the league. The Saints said that Carr suffered a labral tear in his right shoulder and suffered severe degenerative damage to his rotator cuff. Surgery would be required to fix any issues, but Carr has decided that stepping away was the right choice for him.

“Upon reflection of prayer, and in discussion with (my wife) Heather, I’ve decided to retire from the National Football League,” Carr said in the statement. “For more than 11 years, we have been incredibly blessed, and we are forever grateful and humbled by this experience. It’s difficult to find the right words to express our thanks to all the teammates, coaches, management, ownership, team officials and especially the fans who made this journey so special. Your unwavering support has meant the world to us.”

Carr’s legacy with the Raiders is one of varying opinion.

Being drafted by the then-Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, Carr started as a rookie and went on to become the all-time franchise leader in passing yards with 35,222.

Despite the gaudy stats and successful seasons (primarily 2016, when he finished third in voting for NFL MVP), the opinion of Carr amongst Raider Nation is decidedly mixed. Carr went 63-79 in his nine years as starter, and the Raiders were unsuccessful in winning his sole playoff appearance (2021, as he was injured before the 2016 playoffs). However, it is hard to pin that all on the quarterback, as he went through six coaches, had only two seasons with a top-20 defense, and the Raiders were consistently one of the worst-drafting teams during his tenure.

There was also the matter of his unceremonious exit from the organization.

At the end of the 2022 season with the Raiders already eliminated from playoff contention, then-head coach Josh McDaniels made the decision to bench Carr over the last two games. The move essentially translated to McDaniels placing the blame for the team’s struggles at Carr’s feet, and the quarterback did not appreciate being thrown under the bus by the same organization that had given him an injury guarantee on his contract the previous offseason. He essentially stayed away from the team for the remainder of the season and was released shortly after, leading to him never getting closure with the Raiders.

There is no denying Carr enjoyed a successful career with the NFL, but his legacy with the Raiders will always be a point of contention.