Raiders: Ranking the top 4 quarterbacks in franchise history
By Allen Settle
No. 3 QB in Raiders History: Derek Carr
Surprised to see Derek Carr so high on this list? It’s difficult not to be when you consider the totality of the former Fresno State star’s career.
The former second-round pick has been the starting QB since the team selected him with the 36th overall pick in 2014. Since that time, he has been the epitome of a middle-tier player.
On one hand, Carr has failed to accomplish any notable team success during his six-year tenure. He currently holds a career 33-55 record and has only one playoff appearance (a Wild Card loss in 2016).
While he enters the 2020 season as the incumbent starter, Raider Nation is beginning to question whether it is time for the team to hit the reset button with a younger player. It will be curious to see how much grace Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock extend to Carr over the next season or two.
However, on the other side of the coin, Carr has carved out his place in the history books. He has already set franchise records with 3,313 passing attempts, 2,120 completions, 22,793 yards, and a 64 percent completion percentage.
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Perhaps even more impressively, Carr has been able to bring stability to what was considered to be one of the most unstable positions in sports history. The Raiders starting quarterback spot was an absolute mess for over a decade before Carr joined the fold.
How much of a mess? Here are all of the players in the revolving door of quarterbacks:
EJ Manuel, Matt McGloin, Matt Flynn, Terrelle Pryor, Carson Palmer, Kyle Boller, Jason Campbell, Bruce Gradkowski, Charlie Frye, Andrew Walter, JaMarcus Russell, Daunte Culpepper, Josh McCown, Aaron Brooks, Marques Tuiasosopo, and Kerry Collins.
For the record, that is not the complete list of quarterbacks in team history. It is just from 2004-2014!
Say what you want about Carr’s lack of team production. The fact that he brought an end to this inconsistency is one of his most impressive accomplishments.
No. 2 QB in Raiders History: Jim Plunkett
Speaking of team success, I turn your attention to Jim Plunkett.
The late-70s icon is the only player on this list to play a major role on both the Oakland Raiders and Los Angeles Raiders.
He is also the only player to ever led the Raiders franchise to two Super Bowl victories, bringing the Lombardi Trophy to Oakland in Super Bowl XV and Los Angeles in Super Bowl XVIII.
While the two championships alone make him one of the best signal-callers to ever suit up for the team, Plunkett also amassed an array of statistical accomplishments during his eight years with the Raiders.
His 80 passing touchdowns are sixth-most in team history, and his 16,655 make him a part of the franchise’s all-time top five passers.