Silver Minings: Raiders have one of most ‘enviable’ QB situations in NFL

Although many consider his career with the Las Vegas Raiders to be winding down, Derek Carr still believes he has what it takes to be an MVP-caliber quarterback for the Raiders, and he’s the right QB to try and lead them back to the playoffs.

This offseason, the team brought in Marcus Mariota and signed him to a very pricey deal for a backup QB.

Gil Brandt of NFL.com ranked the five most enviable QB situations in the NFL, and the Raiders cracked his list.

As he mentions in the article, Carr hasn’t been the same quarterback as the guy who went 12-3 with 28 TDs and six interceptions in 2016. Since then, the team has struggled and Carr’s numbers haven’t been as impressive, though they’ve still been very solid. Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson said he wants Carr to become more creative when plays break down and run with the football when warranted. After attempting just 38 throws of 20-plus air yards in 2019 (25th-most in the NFL), Carr will hopefully take more deep throws in 2020, especially since the team added Henry Ruggs III via the NFL Draft.

If Carr can’t give head coach Jon Gruden what he wants in Year 3 of their relationship, Marcus Mariota will have a chance to replace Carr, just as Mariota was bumped by Ryan Tannehill in Tennessee last year. Raiders general manager Mike Mayock said Las Vegas must rebuild Mariota to help him get his confidence back, and Gruden has proven successful doing that throughout his coaching career with quarterbacks like Rich Gannon and Brad Johnson.

In other Raiders’ links:

• Raiders’ owner Mark Davis welcomes players to the “Death Star” a.k.a. Allegiant Stadium.
• Raiders’ pursuit of Yannick Ngakoue might not be over yet.
• Trent Brown on field at Raiders practice after long absence.
• As mentioned the other day, Cardale Jones works out for Raiders.