Since coming into the league in 2014, Derek Carr has had a lot of ups and downs with the Oakland Raiders, but the hope is that he can prove this season he is still the best long-term option for the team going forward. The stats speak for themselves, but there is a lot more to Carr than just the guy who leads the Raiders offense.

Let's break down four things you need to know about Carr.

4. Carr's first love was basketball

Carr was a standout high school football player, but during his elementary and junior high days, he actually enjoyed basketball more. Carr could really shoot it, especially from deep, but after going to a basketball camp at the University of Texas he was discouraged.

“He came back and I asked him how did camp go?” Rodger Carr recalled via the FresnoBee. “And he said, ‘I’m going to stick to football.’ I said why? He said ‘Dad, there were eighth-graders sticking their arms down the rim.’ I said ‘Hey, you can still shoot the 3 and make a living.’ But he was like ‘nah.’”

Carr still enjoys playing basketball in the offseason, especially when he can sit out at the three-point line and sling it from downtown.

Derek Carr

3. He was almost named Dallas

Derek Carr's full name is Derek Dallas Carr, but for a day after he was born his name was Dallas Derek Carr. After being born, it took his mom about a day to decide which way they wanted the first and middle name positioned. A friend of their parents named their kid Derek, which almost swayed them to Dallas, but in the end, they stuck with Derek for the first name.

“After I was born, my mom struggled in the delivery room for about a day trying to decide if they wanted to use Dallas or Derek for my first name. Apparently they happily decided on using Derek. Then all the boys had DDC for their initials. She just labeled all our clothes DDC1, DDC2 and DDC3.”

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2. Carr wants to own a church

Most know that Derek Carr is a very religious quarterback who said after signing his contract extension the first thing he would do was pay his tithe. One thing many don't know is that Carr would like to at some point own his own church, according to CBS Sacramento.

Once he retires from the NFL, he will probably spend a lot of time around the church, and preaching the message of God.

1. Carr loves all comics

Since a young age, Carr has had a soft spot in his heart for comics and he has a dream of playing Batman. Just last week he tweeted, tagging DC Comics that he was trying to be the next Batman and they needed to let the right people know so he could get the gig.

Carr hopes to play many more years in the NFL, but maybe if the Raiders decide to go in a different direction he can retire and try to land an acting role.