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It was barely more than two years ago that Derek Carr was establishing himself as perhaps the league's best young quarterback. The trajectory of his career changed dramatically at the end of Carr's breakout season, though, when the Oakland Raiders signal-caller suffered a broken fibula against the Indianapolis Colts on December 24, 2016. Still, his injury and ensuing recovery period didn't prevent the Raiders from ponying up the dough for Carr the following summer, when he signed a deal that at the time made him the highest-paid player in NFL history.
Two full seasons later, Carr certainly hasn't lived up to that contract, but Oakland is still expressing confidence in him as its franchise quarterback of the present and future. Despite many calling for the Raiders to draft his replacement on April 25, one NFL analyst believes Carr will soon bounce back – and that his injury affected him more than most believe.
“I think that was the turning point in all of this, that injury,” NFL Network analyst M.J. Acosta said, per 247 Sports' John Newby. “And it's tough to come back and say that you're going to be the exact same person. I don't think anybody would agree with any kind of tribulation, but especially with an injury of that magnitude. It's tough. He was at this precipice, where we were seeing all of this, and then boom, that moment. When you go back to 2016, and you think of that context and what we saw, that person is still there. That player is still there, and then some because he has evolved, and he has matured, and he has grown into this leadership role …”
Carr threw for a career-best 4,049 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions last season while completing 68.9 percent of his passes. Oakland went just 4-12 in its first season under Jon Gruden, though, scoring 18.1 points per game, 28th in the league.
