Former Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr decided it's time to hang up the cleats following a long tenured National Football League career. The former Raiders quarterback spent the first nine years of his professional career as a member of the franchise, and just a few years removed from taking his talents elsewhere, his playing career has concluded.
The Raiders took Carr in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Fresno State. In his nine seasons donning the Silver and Black, Carr totaled 35,222 passing yards, 217 touchdowns, and secured himself four Pro Bowl appearances.
Keeping with the theme of former Raiders, the former head coach of the franchise in Jon Gruden oversaw four seasons of Carr's career as the franchise's quarterback. Returning to the position in 2018, Gruden was the head coach for Carr in where he recorded 17,010 passing yards, 90 touchdowns, and led the franchise to 22 victories with Carr as his QB.
With the sad news of Carr retiring due to a shoulder injury, Gruden extended a heartfelt message to the former Raiders playmaker. In a recent X post, Gruden sent his congratulations on a job well done in an 11-year career.
"Congratulations on a great career. You showcased incredible mental toughness and preparation for over a decade. I love you and enjoyed our time. Keep shredding!" Gruden wrote.
Gruden and Carr, between the span of 2018 to 2021, helped raise the Raiders in the standings. While their first year together saw the franchise finish with a 4-12 record, the following two seasons, prior to Gruden's 2021 resignation in Week 5, held a record of 15-17.
While Carr's career is over, the former Raiders head coach has expressed interest in wanting to return to head coaching.
"I miss it. I am scratching the itch right here," said Jon Gruden on the Fitz and Whit podcast. "I have more people come in here the last few weeks than probably any coach in the league. College guys, NFL guys, so I am studying every day, scratching that itch. I would like one more chance to do it because I thought we had that team on the right trajectory. We were 3-0, we beat three straight playoff teams and I thought we had a good young team. And it really crushes me to really see how everybody went different directions real fast."
