Heading into the 2021 offseason, Derek Carr’s future with the Las Vegas Raiders was in question, but all signs are pointing towards him being the man under center yet again in 2021. Carr, 30, is entering his eighth season as the starting quarterback for the Raiders and he is hoping to play even better than he has already.
Carr led the Raiders to an 8-8 record in 2020, but that’s a mark he surely wants to improve. He has always had to prove his doubters wrong, but he’s actually been a very productive quarterback throughout his career thus far.
In 2020, Carr completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 4,103 passing yards and logged a touchdown to interception ratio of 27 to 9. Carr can also get the job done on the ground as he’s proven to be one of the more mobile quarterbacks in the AFC.
Carr is poised to have a big season, and he really needs to prove to the league that he is capable of being the quarterback that can send the Raiders beyond the regular season. Let’s take a look at three super early predictions for Raiders’ quarterback for the 2021 season.
3. Throw for 5,000 Passing Yards
Throwing for 5,000 yards in a single season is something that is very hard to do in the NFL, but I’m predicting that Derek Carr has what it takes to get it done. Only a handful of quarterbacks have ever hit the 5K milestone, but Carr could look to add his name to the list this upcoming season.
Carr has never really gotten close to the 5,000-yard mark in his NFL career, but with the NFL adding an extra game and the league turning into a pass-first league, we could see the odds of tossing for 5,000 yards go up substantially. I think Carr is out to prove a lot of people wrong this season, which is why he could stun the world and throw for 5,000 yards.
Sure, this take may be a bit lofty, but it’s not all that unreasonable. Carr’s passing yardage totals have gone up each of the past four seasons and with the Raiders adding some legitimate weapons to the roster he will have even better options to distribute the ball to. Don’t be shocked if Carr balls out and attains the 5,000 yard milestone.
2. Lead the Raiders To the Playoffs
The biggest ailing factor that has been dimming the success of Derek Carr is the simple fact that he can’t lead the team to the playoffs. Carr has always put up solid numbers, but he will have to do more than play well if he wants to be the longer term option at quarterback for Vegas.
The Raiders have begun to add some serious talent to their roster and they have been putting together a roster that can compete with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West. If Carr emphasizes on the talent his team now has, he could make his first playoff start in 2021.
If Carr can lead his team to the promised land, he can finally establish himself as one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks. Until he reaches the playoffs, however, he will still be an average player in the eyes of many.
1. Make the Pro Bowl Roster
Derek Carr has all the tools to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL next season and a strong season could really rank him amongst the best. If Carr has a strong 2021 campaign, I don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t be voted into the Pro Bowl following the season.
He has been nominated to three Pro Bowls in his career thus far and a fourth could be on the horizon with a good season. Obviously, Carr would have to match up with the standards of some of the AFC’s best players in Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Josh Allen, but Carr has all the tools to do just that.
If Carr can put together a season where he avoids unnecessary turnovers, he could very well wind up in the Pro Bowl following the season. Carr is going to shock a lot of people in 2021 and he could establish himself as one of the league’s best players in 2021.
