Season 10 is set for Derek Carr.
The former Las Vegas Raiders quarterback has reportedly signed with the New Orleans Saints. News broke Monday morning. Stories have been told. Opinions flame the fire.
Let’s allow the numbers to do the talking now.
Carr is about to turn 32 years old on March 28. He has been in the NFL since 2014 when he was drafted out of Fresno State by the Raiders with a second-round pick, 36th overall. He has since compiled a 63-79-0 record, starting each of the 142 regular-season games he has played in.
As a rookie, Carr led the Raiders to a 3-13 record. Those three victories came after former Raiders and current Saints head coach Dennis Allen was fired after four games. Carr completed 348 of his 599 passes for 3,270 yards, 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. To better visual that, he was on target with 58.1% of his passes and threw for an average of 204.4 yards per game. He was responsible for at least one touchdown (1.3) and less than one (0.8) interceptions per game.
Carr’s overall production only went up from there. That completion rate and passing average were the lowest of his career. The touchdown and interception totals were neither the best nor the worst marks of his career.
Pulling together all nine seasons, Carr has thrown 4,958 passes, connecting 3,201 of them. That’s good for a 64.6% completion rate. He has thrown for 35,222 yards, which breaks down to 248 yards per game and 3,913.6 yards per season on average. He has been responsible for 217 touchdowns and also 99 interceptions — or 1.5 touchdowns per game and 24.1 touchdowns per season; or 0.7 interceptions per game and 11 interceptions per season.
To bookend his time with the Raiders: In 2022, Carr brought the team to a 6-9 record before being benched for the remaining two games of the season. He completed 205 of his 502 passes for 3,522 yards, 24 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He had a 60.8% completion rate and a 234.8 yards per-game average. This line is essentially the same as his first year: He was responsible for at least one touchdown (1.6) and less than one (0.9) interceptions per game.
Here’s a list of career season highs for Carr:
- Pass attempts: 626 (in 2021)
- Pass completions: 428 (in 2021)
- Yards passing: 4,804 (in 2021)
- Touchdowns: 32 (in 2015)
- Interceptions: 14 (in 2021 and 2022)
Carr was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2015-17 and 2022. He had winning records in 2016 and 2021.
Speaking of those winnings years, not included above are any postseason statistics.
During Carr’s tenure, the Raiders went to the playoffs twice, losing a Wild Card game in both appearances.
The first time was in 2016 against the Houston Texans. Carr was actually injured beforehand, and Connor Cook got the nod in his absence. The Raiders lost, 27-14.
The second instance was in 2021 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Carr completed 29 of his 54 passes for 310 yards. He threw a touchdown and an interception in the Raiders’ 26-19 loss.
The Raiders, though, have been to the postseason more recently than the Saints. New Orleans hasn’t made its return to the playoffs since Drew Brees took the team in 2020 before announcing his retirement.
The Saints have had five different starting quarterbacks since then. Carr will likely be their sixth come 2023.
Leave a Reply