Raiders news: Former Las Vegas WR explains why Derek Carr struggles

Former Raiders wide receiver Jordy Nelson provided an explanation for Las Vegas quarterback Derek Carr's ongoing struggles.

The Las Vegas Raiders are moving forward with Derek Carr under center despite his uninspiring play in recent seasons. Jordy Nelson, a former teammate of Carr's, explained why Carr has struggled in recent years with the Raiders.

While speaking to Austin Boyd of Heavy.com, Nelson spoke about why he believes Carr gets a bad wrap in the media and whether it's deserved:

“No, it’s not … Guy’s extremely smart, very talented, works extremely hard, can make the throws, does it all. I think he’s been in a tough situation. I think similar to what Alex Smith dealt with with the 49ers of just constantly rotating through coaches and offensive coordinators.”

Since coming into the NFL in 2014, Carr has gone through four different head coaches. Though, heading into the 2020 NFL season, Carr is preparing to enter his third consecutive season with Jon Gruden at the helm of the team.

Prior to signing with the Raiders in 2018, Nelson spent nine years with the Green Bay Packers, catching passes from Aaron Rodgers. Nelson believes that Carr could benefit from the continuity that Rodgers has had.

“You compare that to Aaron [Rodgers] in Green Bay where he was in the same offense for 10-plus years, the same receivers that were there for like six, eight years at a time that slowly developed and figured out the system and got that chemistry going … it makes a difference when you’re not able to keep that chemistry from year one to year eight to 10,” Nelson said.

With Carr's contract easily movable after 2020, he is entering a pivotal season in his career. Albeit, Nelson believes that Carr is better than people think and could benefit from another offseason with the same coaching staff.