Raiders Icon Derek Carr Makes Way Back to Football

After years of playing at a high level, the Las Vegas Raiders will forever be tied to former quarterback Derek Carr. Las Vegas' former quarterback has been out of the spotlight for a few years, but he has decided to make a comeback, of sorts.

Carr Returns

Carr finished his professional career with over 41,000 yards passing and over 250 touchdown passes. He is still the Raiders' all-time leader in completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns. He will now return to the gridiron in a new capacity. Carr's new role was recently announced.

The Raiders' former quarterback will serve as a special advisor to UCLA's football head coach, Bob Chesney. It remains to be seen what the role will fully look like, but for now, Carr is back on a football field, handing down the knowledge he gained at the highest level.

“We are excited to welcome Derek to our program. He has played the quarterback position at a high level for more than a decade, and his experience, leadership and football knowledge will be an incredible resource for our coaching staff and student-athletes," Chesney said in a press release.

"What stands out most is his passion for the game and his commitment to developing young people. Derek will have a tremendous impact on our players and is a great addition to our program.”

Carr's History

UCLA's general manager, Darrick Yray, is familiar with Carr, as the two have a long-standing relationship. While Carr played at Fresno State, Yray served as an offensive assistant and assistant director of football operations with the Bulldogs from 2008 to 2014.

After accepting his new role at UCLA, Carr shared some insight into his relationship with Yray and how it impacted him landing the position. Carr looks forward to helping Chesney and the Bruins turn things around on the field moving forward.

"I've known Darrick for a long time and have great respect for the work he's done throughout his career," Carr said.

"The opportunity to help Coach Chesney, the staff and the quarterbacks at UCLA was one that really excited me. I'm looking forward to sharing my experiences and helping support the program in any way I can."

Before playing 11 seasons with the Raiders and New Orleans Saints, Carr was a star signal caller at Fresno State. During his collegiate career, Carr won the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year twice. He was the nation's top passer in 2013, netting him the Sammy Baugh Trophy.

As a senior at Fresno State, Carr threw for over 5,000 yards and registered 50 touchdown passes. He finished his collegiate career with nearly 13,000 passing yards and over 110 touchdowns before being drafted by the Raiders in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

Since moving on from Carr, the Raiders have struggled to find any continuity at the quarterback position. Las Vegas has started seven different quarterbacks in the past three seasons alone, and is likely to start another two quarterbacks this season in Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza.

Las Vegas' front office hopes Mendoza is the last quarterback they will have to start for a while, as they have started the process of rebuilding the team around the prized rookie. The Raiders' front office also removed early pressure from the young quarterback by signing Cousins to start the 2026 season.

Carr was the last franchise quarterback the Raiders had until they drafted Mendoza a few months ago. Carr has already proved himself as a professional; Mendoza has yet to do so. Still, Carr wishes Mendoza nothing but the best, even if that means Mendoza ends up breaking his records.

“I hope Fernando Mendoza breaks every Raider record. As a former quarterback, if you feel any other way, there’s something wrong with you. Why wouldn’t you want the next generation to do better than you? Like, I want the best for everybody," Carr said earlier this offseason.

Mendoza is expected to have a long career in the Silver and Black, just like Carr did for most of his career. The Raiders hope Mendoza can make them a competitive team, as Carr did during his prime years. Soon, Mendoza will get his chance to make that and more happen.

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