Derek Carr

Derek Dallas Carr is an American football quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Fresno State, where he twice received first-team All-MWC honors, and was selected by the Raiders in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Carr helped the Raiders reach the playoffs during the 2016 season, the franchise's first appearance since 2002. He led Las Vegas to another postseason berth in 2021.

Derek Carr’s Early Life and Background

Carr was born in Bakersfield, California, the youngest of three children to Rodger and Sheryl Carr. He and his family lived in Bakersfield before relocating to Sugar Land, Texas, in 2002 when his oldest brother, David Carr, became the first overall draft pick of the then-expansion Houston Texans. Carr and his family moved back to Bakersfield for his senior year, and he attended Bakersfield Christian High School. Carr's high school football career began at Clements High School in Sugar Land, Texas. After playing on the freshman team his first year, he became a backup quarterback on the varsity team as a sophomore. He did not prepare himself to become the starting quarterback, but a preseason injury to another quarterback thrust him into the role. He passed for 1,246 yards and 12 touchdowns as a sophomore, and 1,622 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior. He was heavily recruited and verbally committed to Fresno State on May 25, 2008. As a senior, Carr led the Eagles football team to a 12–1 record and the California Interscholastic Federation Central Section Division V championship. On October 29, 2008, Carr was selected by ESPN RISE as the National Football Player of the Week after passing for 441 yards and three touchdowns in a game against Tehachapi High School five days earlier. Carr would eventually set a Central Section record by throwing 544 yards in a win against Arvin High School on November 7, 2008. Carr was also selected by The Bakersfield Californian as the 2008 All-Area Football Player of the Year. Carr also set a new school record when he passed for six touchdowns and ran for two in a blowout win against small school Fowler High at home. After his high school football career finished, Carr was named the National Player of the Year by the National Private Schools Athletic Association in 2009.

Derek Carr Collegiate Career

Carr enrolled as an early-entry freshman for the spring semester at Fresno State, where his brother David also played quarterback. However, Carr got the starting quarterback position way later, in the fall of 2011. He made his first appearance as a starter in the Bulldogs' season-opening loss to California. Three weeks later, Carr had a breakout game in a victory over Idaho with 371 passing yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions. In the 2011 season, Carr passed for 3,544 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He was among the passing leaders of the Western Athletic Conference in numerous categories. With a new head coach, Carr had a strong performance to start. In the third game, Carr passed for 300 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception. Two weeks later, Carr had a school-record tying 536 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions. In the 2012 season, he passed for 4,104 yards, 37 touchdowns, and seven interceptions and won the MWC Offensive Player of the Year award.

Carr helped lead the Bulldogs to an 11–2 record in the 2013 season. In the regular season opener, Carr completed 52 passes on 73 attempts for 456 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception, setting school and conference records for pass attempts and completions in a game. Fresno State qualified for the MWC Championship Game, where Carr passed for 404 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions en route to a victory, giving the team its first outright conference victory. He finished his collegiate career with 217 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in the Las Vegas Bowl. In the 2013 season, Carr led the FBS with 5,083 yards and 50 touchdowns, while winning the Sammy Baugh Trophy, awarded to the nation’s top collegiate passer. Carr also received the 2013 CFPA Elite QB Award for his performance over three seasons at Fresno State. Carr is a legend at Fresno State, with his number being retired by the team. He also received a mural at his college on July 14, 2019.

Who Drafted Derek Carr?

Carr was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft with the 36th overall pick. He was the fourth quarterback to be selected that year. On May 16, he was assigned his requested number of 4. On May 21, he was signed to a four-year, $5.37 million contract with a $2.2 million signing bonus.

Derek Carr’s NFL Journey

Derek Carr has been a constant name in NFL circles of good, but not great, QB. The man has carved out a space for himself as a solid quarterback but has never quite reached the heights of his high school or college career. With 3 Pro Bowls to his name, Carr has produced at a high level for the Raiders, and their record book could very well be called the Derek Carr biography.

Derek Carr Teams

Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders (2014-Present)

Carr was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft with the 36th overall pick. He was the fourth quarterback to be selected that year. On May 16, he was assigned his requested number of 4. On May 21, he was signed to a four-year, $5.37 million contract with a $2.2 million signing bonus. Since his first game, Carr has been a regular starter for the Raiders in his long career now. A mainstay of the franchise, it wouldn’t be a stretch to call Carr the most statistically successful Raider QB to ever play. He owns most of the franchise records, beginning as a rookie and carrying on further in. He owns career, season, and game records for almost all categories as a passer, along with 3 Pro Bowls to his credit.

Derek Carr NFL Records

Regular season

Career

• Touchdown passes: 217

• Pass completions: 3,201

• Pass attempts: 4,958

• Pass completion percentage: 64.6%

• Passing yards: 35,222

• Lowest interception percentage: 2.0%

• Highest passer rating: 91.8

• Most fourth-quarter comebacks: 28

• Most game-winning drives: 33

Season

• Most completions: 428 (2021)

• Most attempts: 626 (2021)

• Most passing yards: 4,804 (2021)

• Pass completion percentage: 70.4% (2019)

• Fewest interceptions thrown (minimum 8 starts): 6 (2016)

• Lowest interception percentage: 1.1% (2016)

• Most fourth-quarter comebacks: 7 (2016)

• Most game-winning drives: 7 (2016)

Game

• Most passing yards: 513 (October 30, 2016, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

• Highest pass completion percentage: 91.2% (October 24, 2021, against the Philadelphia Eagles)

Rookie year

Season

• Most games started: 16

• Most completions: 348

• Most pass attempts: 599

• Pass completion percentage: 58.1%

• Most passing yards: 3,270

• Most touchdowns: 21

• Lowest interception percentage (minimum 3 starts): 2.0%

• Highest passer rating (minimum 3 starts): 76.6

• Most losses: 13

Game

• Most pass completions: 34 (October 26, 2014, against the Cleveland Browns)

• Most pass attempts: 56 (December 14, 2014, against the Kansas City Chiefs)

• Most touchdown passes: 4 (October 12, 2014, against the San Diego Chargers)

• Highest passer rating: 140.2 (December 7, 2014, against the San Francisco 49ers)

Derek Carr's Net Worth And Contract

Carr’s net worth is estimated to be $80 million in 2022. He signed with the Las Vegas Raiders for a 5-year, $125,000,000 deal that included a $12,500,000 signing bonus, $70,200,000 in guaranteed money, and an average annual salary of $25,000,000.

Carr will make a $19,525,000 basic salary, a $100,000 workout bonus, a $2,500,000 dead cap value, and a $22,125,000 cap hit in 2021. Additionally, Carr will have made $130,513,120 in salary by the time his current contract expires.

Derek is one of the highest-paid players in the NFL. In fact, he is the world’s 99th highest-paid athlete. Derek has profited greatly from the endorsements as well. He received close to $2 million with his collaborations with Nike and Panini.

Derek Carr family

Carr's brother, David, was the first overall pick of the Houston Texans in the 2002 NFL Draft. David played in the NFL from 2002 to 2012 with various teams. Carr's uncle, Lon Boyett, played at the tight end position for the Raiders during the 1978 season.

Carr married Heather Neel on June 29, 2012. The couple has three sons and a daughter. His oldest son was born with a medical condition that tied up his intestines and required three surgeries to fix.

Carr currently resides in the Southern Highlands master-planned community in the southern foothills of the Las Vegas Valley, neighbors with former Raiders coach Jon Gruden.

Carr is a Christian and has said his faith is the most important thing in his life. He has tattoos on his wrists, the left citing a verse from the Biblical Book of Jeremiah and the right depicting a Chi Rho.

Read more about Derek Carr's height.