When Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler joined the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022, they came it with the idea that Derek Carr was their franchise quarterback.
They cemented this belief with a trade that brought wide receiver and Carr’s former Fresno State teammate Davante Adams to Las Vegas, and the team hoped to build on a surprise playoff appearance from the previous season. Unfortunately for Carr and the Raiders, a six-win campaign marred by inconsistent play under center lead to the team making a quarterback change before the end of the season. Carr was released during that offseason, and all four major pieces to that puzzle are long gone.
While the feelings of Raiders fans about Carr are decidedly mixed, a return to Las Vegas as a spectator is not out of the question.
After retiring this offseason due to a severe rotator cuff injury, Carr revealed that he has spoken to Raiders owner Mark Davis about a return to Allegiant Stadium.
“I’ve already talked to Mr. Davis, we’ve already talked, Mark’s already called me,” Carr said in a recent interview. “We’re gonna talk and figure out what that looks like and when that looks like. But I can’t wait to get back to a Raiders game and get down there on the sideline and see the fans again. That’s my place.”
“I love Pete Carroll… On offense you know they’re gonna run the football, obviously with their draft pick, even though he’s a Boise State Bronco, I’ll look past that he’s a Raider now so we’re family”
Derek Carr on the new era of Raiders football #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/W8CSD8CEdf
— Shannon Kelly (@shannonkelly_tv) July 12, 2025
It is good to see that there is no bad blood between Carr and the Raiders, as he is still one of the best quarterbacks in franchise history.
A 2014 second-round pick, Carr threw for a total of 35,222 yards and 257 touchdowns in his nine seasons with the Raiders. He made four Pro Bowls as a member of the team, and even finished third in MVP voting in 2016. While his individual success unfortunately did not translate to the postseason, the past couple of seasons showed how bad things could have been without Carr as a stable presence.
The opinions of Raider Nation on Carr might be inconclusive, but the quarterback will undoubtedly be greeted by cheers whenever he returns to Las Vegas.
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