Derek Carr Says Kobe Bryant Taught Him the Importance of Stretching

As the 2022 NFL season approaches, Derek Carr finds himself reinvigorated to embrace the next chapter in his Raiders’ tenure. The veteran quarterback reported to training camp on Wednesday, armed with a new training regimen tip from an NBA legend: Lakers Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant

In the 2021 season, Carr produced at one of the best rates of his career, playing in all 17 games and throwing for a career-high 4,804 yards to go along with 23 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while completing 68.4% of his passes. He also led Las Vegas to its first playoff appearance since ’16.

But with last year’s success behind him and beginning his ninth NFL training camp with his college teammate Davante Adams, the 31-year-old has added a new wrinkle into his preparation and recovery routines: stretching, something that he learned from the late Bryant, who he counts as one of his mentors.

“[Bryant] was such a mentor, someone I looked up to,” Carr said, per The Athletic’s Vic Tafur. “So anything he said, I said, ‘I might as well start this stretching stuff.’ And it’s really made me feel like I’m a rookie. … I’m 31 but I feel like I’m 21. And I think recovery-wise, that’s helped me the most.”

Using Bryant’s advice on stretching, Carr implements a myofascial stretch routine, a regimen he uses once a week to relieve pain connected with muscle dysfunction or stiffness. The routine eases the pain associated with muscle dysfunction or tightness, something Carr puts a lot of attention to as a NFL quarterback.

“For a lot of athletes, the posterior chain, especially for a quarterback, a rotational athlete or a pitcher rotation, you gotta do some things to counter that and to keep yourself balanced, especially if you’re going to rotate and then go play golf afterward,” Carr said. “And, so, I have a stretch class that I do once a week, and that’s one thing that Kobe taught me. He said ‘stretch.’”

During the offseason, Carr signed a three-year extension worth $121.5 million, giving him an average annual salary of $40.5 million and making him the fifth-highest paid quarterback on a yearly basis.

Carr, a former second round pick in the 2014 NFL draft, earned three Pro Bowl nods from ’15 to ’17 and has recorded numerous franchise records that include career passing yards (31,700) and touchdown passes (193).

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