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The Oakland Raiders have been one of the most intriguing teams in the NFL over the last year. It all started with the signing of head coach Jon Gruden. Then came the Khalil Mack situation. That was followed by Amari Cooper. There was a ton of drama with Derek Carr next.
With all that in mind, speculation has run wild. Gruden clearly wants to get his own roster. Derek Carr might not be part of that plan. However, as of right now – he's still their quarterback. It would make sense for them to keep it that way as well.
Carr hasn't been the same since an injury in 2016, but showed promise again in 2018.
With that in mind, what's in store for 2019?
What are some bold predictions for the embattled QB that could come true – even though it's way too early to make them?
3. Return to MVP-candidate form
As stated above, Derek Carr hasn't been the same since his injury in 2016. He was coming off the heels of two straight stellar seasons, but that really slowed his momentum.
At first glance, 2018 wasn't a great year. The Oakland Raiders went 4-12 and he only threw 19 touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions.
It's a lot deeper than that though.
Carr was dealing with a new head coach. He also had an extremely weak supporting cast. Despite all that, he posted a new high in yards (4,049) and completion percentage (68.9%).
Now the quarterback will be in year two with his head coach. He also now has the best wide receiver in football with Antonio Brown on the roster.
The Raiders also have three first-round draft picks in 2019 (4th, 24th, 27th) and the 35th overall pick as well. With all that, they have a lot of opportunities to give him even more weapons. This could be by drafting receivers, tight ends, running backs or offensive linemen. It could also be done by them trading some of their assets for another veteran player.
With all that in mind, and the fact that Carr looked improved in 2018 – there's plenty of reason to believe 2019 will be another major step forward.
We could see the MVP candidate from 2015 and 2016 once again.
2. Break his Personal Bests
Derek Carr's personal bests in touchdowns (32) and yards (4,049) are both solid, but achievable to break. He's heading into 2019 with Antonio Brown. Don't get me wrong, Amari Cooper was a great receiver with the Raiders, but Brown is on a whole different level.
In today's game, 4,049 yards is very achievable. 32 touchdowns is a lot harder to break though. Carr has the arm ability to do so if the Raiders put the right guys around him, however.
The good news is, Brown isn't the only new name. Ryan Grant was a sneaky good addition at wide receiver. He's a great route runner with reliable hands. Grant's someone that can help to spread the field with shorter routes.
You should also expect a tight end to be added through the draft.
Carr threw 19 touchdown passes and set his personal best in passing yards last season. He did that with very little help.
It's not a stretch to believe he could shatter those numbers, in year two of an offense and now with Antonio Brown, in 2019.
1. He'll get a shiny new endorsement from Gruden
It's no secret that Derek Carr and Jon Gruden have had a little bit of a problem in 2018. They clearly didn't see eye-to-eye for a good part of the year.
With that came a lot of questions. Is Carr the QB Gruden wants? At times Gruden even admitted last year he wanted more from the position.
This all ended with rumors that the Raiders would take a quarterback in the first round. They could possibly have Kyler Murray or Dwayne Haskins fall to their laps with the fourth pick.
However, Gruden's publicly endorsed Carr as his quarterback since then.
This doesn't mean that much though. It's NFL Draft time, the season of lying. Teams love to talk up certain players and talk down on others. The hope is to raise stocks and drop stocks in a way that will help your team.
You raise stocks so other teams want your players more. You drop stocks hoping that other teams don't want a player and you can draft him later.
Nothing will be known until the Raiders finish the 2019 draft. Once that's done, then we'll know who the quarterback is for 2019.
Derek Carr will be that quarterback. They won't draft anyone at the position. Then they'll go 100% in on Carr.
Gruden will double-down on his endorsement and the Raiders will be better off for it.
