New Raiders HC Josh McDaniels backs QB Derek Carr as 'our leader'

The future of Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was up in the air even before former head coach Jon Gruden resigned in disgrace this past October, and new general manager Dave Ziegler left more questions than answers when speaking about the sport's most important position earlier this week. 

As Josh Alper explained for Pro Football Talk, new Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels appeared on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Wednesday and heavily suggested Carr is going to remain his QB1 through the offseason. 

"It’ll be a really fun experience for me to continue to build this thing with him as our leader," McDaniels said of Carr. "He’s certainly capable of doing a lot of great things, he’s done them before in his career. I’m just looking forward to getting to know him, how he learns the best, what he does, and how we put this thing around him the best way we can to help him be successful and help our team ultimately achieve our goals." 

The Raiders likely wouldn't have to look far if they wanted to shop Carr before the NFL Draft that opens on April 28. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are searching for a new starter following the retirement of Tom Brady, and the Cleveland Browns may or may not be ready to move on from Baker Mayfield. If Aaron Rodgers truly wants a fresh start that doesn't involve riding off into the sunset, the Green Bay Packers and Raiders could potentially swap quarterbacks. 

For now, McDaniels is doing right by all involved in publicly praising Carr.