The Raiders officially became the Las Vegas Raiders on Wednesday, and it was a sight to behold. A ceremony outside a burgeoning Allegiant Stadium represented a monumental change for an iconic franchise.
But one thing about the Raiders that seems to never change is the supposedly precarious quarterback situation. With coach Jon Gruden having gutted most of the roster since taking over in 2018, replacing it with his own, hand-selected players, veteran QB Derek Carr is often the subject of rumor.
Will Carr go? Or will he stay? And how about the Raiders’ two first-round draft picks? Will the quarterback-crazed Gruden become sold on a young prospect and toss the progress he’s made with Carr out the window, favoring a player with a higher ceiling? Or, might the Raiders acquire another veteran to take Carr’s place?
Carr, while playing a starring role at the Raiders’ ceremony, made it clear that he plans to be in Las Vegas — not only for the first snap at Allegiant Stadium but for every snap.
“I’ll say it this way: I look forward to taking the first snap in that stadium, and I look forward to taking every snap from here on out — until I’m done,” he said, according to ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez.
Carr acknowledged the most recent Raiders QB rumor, which started when NFL QB Tom Brady was photographed chatting with team owner, Mark Davis at a UFC fight on Saturday. To Carr, it’s just the nature of the business.
“Especially when people are seen with certain people,” Carr said, per Gutierrez, addressing the Brady rumor. “It’s like, ‘Oh, gosh. Well, I was at dinner with [Davis] last night. Does that count for anything?’ Golly. It’s just funny.”
Carr is clearly the man for now. General manager Mike Mayock told The Athletic’s Vic Tafur that Carr improved in 2019, his second with Gruden. Mayock also said, however, that he’s evaluating every position, including quarterback.
That statement will leave the door wide open for more speculation surrounding Carr. Will he stay, or will he go? Carr doesn’t have the luxury of pondering that question, and he clearly aims to make Allegiant Stadium his home away from home until he rides off into the Vegas sunset.
