Once a Raider, Always a Raider. That’s just how it’s always been and always will be. Former Raiders quarterback Derek Carr announced his retirement from the game of football. Injuries have plagued him in recent years and a shoulder injury is the one that allowed him to make this decision. Carr touched on his announcement that now sets him off to a new chapter in life.

“Upon reflection of prayer, and in discussion with Heather, I’ve decided to retire from the National Football League. For more than 11 years, we have been incredibly blessed, and we are forever grateful and humbled by this experience. It’s difficult to find the right words to express our thanks to all the teammates, coaches, management, ownership, team officials and especially the fans who made this journey so special. Your unwavering support has meant the world to us.”

Carr has spent the last few years with the New Orleans Saints, but is mostly known for his time with the Raiders. That’s where this reflection will take us.

Once a Raider, Always a Raider

There were many highs and many lows when it came to the tenure of Carr with the Raiders. Reggie Mackenzie struck gold when he was able to land the quarterback in the second round and it did appear the Raiders had finally found their guy. It was never always perfect, but there were moments to be appreciative as a fan.

The Raiders felt like a team of destiny in 2016 and as a fan, that might have been the most fun I have had watching football. The Raiders were actually good and actually had a chance to do something special that season. Until the worst thing possible happened. On Christmas Eve in 2016 in a game against the Indianapolis Colts, Derek Carr took a sack and ended up breaking his leg. He was out for the season and the Raiders lost the wild card game to the Houston Texans. It was the biggest “what if’s” in recent Raiders history.

That year was electric. The AC/DC combination with Carr and Amari Cooper was sensational. Oh, and Michael Crabtree was a lot of fun too that year. Carr threw for nearly 4,000 yards and also threw the fewest interceptions of his career. The offense was thriving and it was exciting to watch and it was a group that seemingly never quit.

One of the most memorable games in his tenure was against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017. It took a late effort in the fourth quarter and the Raiders had more than one crack at the end zone, but Carr found Michael Crabtree for the go ahead touchdown in the dying seconds and sent the Oakland Coliseum into a frenzy.

Injuries really plagued Carr towards the middle of the tenure. His back was nearly shot, but he delivered on his end performance wise. Carr had four straight 4,000+ yard seasons with the franchise (2018-2021) and set a career high with 4,804. One thing I will always commend him for is his leadership and compete level. 2021 was the year of adversity for the Raiders, as they saw their coach be dismissed and their number one wide receiver be sent to prison. The Raiders rallied and made the playoffs and put up quite the fight against the Bengals.

These are just memorable moments that I won’t forget as a fan. In my lifetime, Carr was one of the best quarterbacks I’ve gotten to see where the Silver and Black.

Carr Was a Good Raider

There is an endless debate about Carr and whether he was good. This topic is controversial and debatable amongst the fan base and it certainly is a divided house. Yes it is tough because the Raiders did not qualify for the playoffs but twice and never won a playoff game with him. They also sat in the basement of the division. Sure, you can blame him, but also the team was not constructed properly to be built around him. He never had a top defense and in fact the defense ranked 30th or below in every year after his rookie season. Shame. At the end of the day, he will be forever etched in the Raiders history books.

Carr leads the franchise in passing yards (35,222) and has thrown the most touchdowns (217). Also, he holds the record for the most wins as a Raiders starter. One thing he was always good for was being able to come back late in games. Since 2015, Carr has had 23 fourth quarter comebacks and 29 overall. He also has 35 game winning drives.

He was a player that did give his all. He was never perfect and did make mistakes and questionable decisions, but he’s human. At the end of it all, Carr was a great Raider and will be forever etched in the team’s history. He embraced the shield and loved donning the Silver and Black.