Oakland Raiders: Derek Carr passes Rich Gannon on all-time passing list
There was one positive thing to come from the Oakland Raiders’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday: Derek Carr moved one step closer to being the most productive passer in franchise history.
It’s been a tough past few months for Derek Carr and the Oakland Raiders. Despite putting up solid numbers and doing his best to keep the Silver and Black competitive, Carr hasn’t been able to lead the Raiders to victory the way he has in seasons passed.
Despite racking up yet another loss on Sunday, Carr did achieve one significant milestone. During Week 14’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the 2014 second-round pick eclipsed Rich Gannon, moving into second place on the Raiders’ all-time passing yards list.
After Sunday’s bitter defeat, Carr officially has 17,802 passing yards through his first five seasons in Oakland. That was more than enough to leapfrog Gannon, who finished his own five years as a Raider with 17,585 passing yards.
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The only other Oakland quarterback ahead of Carr now is Hall of Famer Ken Stabler, who has 19,078 passing yards to his name.
When asked about taking a step closer to unseating Stabler, Carr had this to say:
"It’s very humbling. Again, my dad was a Raider fan growing up. Kenny Stabler was his favorite and I got to grow up watching Rich, Jerry Rice and Tim Brown. To be able to be up there, it means a lot to me. . . Now, can we just translate it into some wins? I would give all the yards back for some more wins. At the same time, it’s very cool and very humbling. It just shows me that I haven’t done anything yet and I have a long way to go."
There’s a very slim chance that Carr manages to take over that top spot before the 2018 season comes to an end. There’s a difference of 1,277 passing yards between him and Stabler, meaning he’d need to toss the pigskin for an average of 320 yards per game over the final four weeks to move into the No. 1 slot. The odds aren’t in his favor, but stranger things have happened.
Either way, it’s a rare positive development during what’s been a disastrous campaign for the Raiders. Things haven’t gone as planned, leading many to call for Jon Gruden‘s and Carr’s job. It’s highly unlikely either has been shown the door by next season, though.
Assuming Carr sticks around in 2019, he should have little trouble surpassing Stabler by early next season. Although I wouldn’t go as far as saying the former Fresno State standout belongs atop any “greatest Raiders QBs” lists, he has certainly proven himself far more capable of an NFL quarterback than his older brother.
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Despite what you may have heard up to this point, Carr is a quality signal caller. Let’s hope Gruden figures that out before he does something stupid like trade him away.