Derek Carr

Derek Dallas Carr Bio

Derek Dallas Carr is an American former professional football quarterback who played 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Fresno State Bulldogs, where he earned first-team All-Mountain West Conference honors twice and led the FBS with 5,083 passing yards and 50 touchdowns in his senior season. Carr was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft with the 36th overall pick. He became the team’s starting quarterback as a rookie and went on to set multiple franchise records while earning four Pro Bowl selections. Carr finished his NFL career with the New Orleans Saints before retiring in 2025 due to a shoulder injury.

Early Life and Background

Derek Dallas Carr was born on March 28, 1991, in Fresno, California, as the youngest of three children to Rodger and Sheryl Carr. 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. The Carr family moved back to Bakersfield for Derek’s senior year of high school.

Carr attended Bakersfield Christian High School, where he initially played at Clements High School in Sugar Land, Texas. He began on the freshman team before becoming a backup quarterback on varsity as a sophomore. When another quarterback suffered a preseason injury, Carr was thrust into the starting role. He passed for 1,246 yards and 12 touchdowns as a sophomore, improving to 1,622 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior while leading his team to an undefeated 13-0 season before losing in the quarterfinals of the Texas 5A Division 2 State playoffs.

As a senior at Bakersfield Christian, Carr led the Eagles to a 12-1 record and the California Interscholastic Federation Central Section Division V championship. He set a Central Section record by throwing 544 yards in a game against Arvin High School and was named the 2008 All-Area Football Player of the Year by The Bakersfield Californian. He verbally committed to Fresno State on May 25, 2008, becoming the program’s first recruit of the 2009 class.

Path to Professional Football

Carr enrolled at Fresno State as an early-entry freshman for the spring semester in 2009 so he could participate in spring football with the Bulldogs, where his brother David also played quarterback. Head coach Pat Hill stated that Carr was in the mix for the starting quarterback position as late as mid-July 2009, but junior Ryan Colburn was named the starter. Carr appeared in five games as a true freshman in limited action.

After redshirting his 2010 season, Carr took over the starting quarterback position in 2011. He passed for 3,544 yards, 26 touchdowns, and nine interceptions, placing among the Western Athletic Conference passing leaders in numerous categories. In 2012, with new head coach Tim DeRuyter, Carr helped lead the Bulldogs to a 9-4 record. He threw for 4,104 yards, 37 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, earning Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year honors.

The 2013 season marked Carr’s breakthrough year. He led the Bulldogs to an 11-2 record and their first outright conference championship. Carr led the FBS with 5,083 passing yards and 50 touchdowns. He earned the Sammy Baugh Trophy, awarded to the nation’s top collegiate passer, and finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting. His number 4 was retired by Fresno State in 2017.

Derek Dallas Carr Career

Oakland Raiders (2014-2022)

Carr was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft with the 36th overall pick. On August 28, he impressed in the Raiders’ final preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks, going 11-of-13 for 143 yards and three touchdowns. On September 1, Raiders head coach Dennis Allen announced Carr would start over veteran Matt Schaub, making Carr the first rookie quarterback in Raiders history to start a season opener.

Carr made his NFL debut against the New York Jets on September 7, 2014, passing for 151 yards and two touchdowns. In his fifth start, he set a Raiders franchise record with four passing touchdowns in a single game by a rookie against the San Diego Chargers. On November 20, Carr won his first NFL game, leading the previously winless Raiders to a 24-20 upset over the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday Night Football. He finished his rookie season with 3,270 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while becoming the first Raiders quarterback to start all 16 games since Rich Gannon in 2002.

In 2015, Carr threw for 3,987 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions, earning his first Pro Bowl selection as he replaced Aaron Rodgers. He became the first Raiders quarterback to be named to the Pro Bowl since Rich Gannon in 2002. The 2016 season proved to be his best. Carr threw for 3,937 yards and 28 touchdowns while leading the Raiders to a 9-2 start and their first playoff berth since 2002. His season ended prematurely when he suffered a fractured fibula in Week 16 against the Indianapolis Colts, forcing him to miss the Raiders’ Wild Card playoff loss to the Houston Texans. He was named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl and ranked 11th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.

Las Vegas Raiders (2020-2022)

After the Raiders relocated to Las Vegas, Carr continued to build on his legacy. In 2019, he threw for 4,054 yards with a career-high 70.4% completion percentage, setting a franchise record. In 2021, Carr led the Raiders to the playoffs with a career-high 4,804 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He started every game that season and led a dramatic overtime win against the Los Angeles Chargers in the regular-season finale to clinch the playoff berth. In his first career playoff start against the Cincinnati Bengals, Carr threw for 310 yards in the 26-19 Wild Card loss.

The 2022 season proved frustrating for Carr and the Raiders. Nine of the team’s eleven losses came by one possession, with Carr playing in ten of those defeats. After completing just 53.3% of his passes and throwing three interceptions in a Week 16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Carr was benched in favor of Jarrett Stidham. He was named to his fourth Pro Bowl as a replacement for Joe Burrow. On February 14, 2023, the Raiders released Carr after he declined to waive his no-trade clause.

New Orleans Saints (2023-2024)

On March 6, 2023, Carr signed with the New Orleans Saints on a four-year contract worth $150 million, reuniting him with former Raiders head coach Dennis Allen. In his debut season with the Saints, Carr started all 17 games and finished with 3,878 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and eight interceptions as the team went 9-8 and missed the postseason. He led the Saints to a 4-1 stretch to close the season after the team sat at 5-7.

The 2024 season was cut short for Carr due to injury. In Week 14 against the New York Giants, he fractured his hand and suffered a concussion while trying to leap for a first down, prematurely ending his season. Carr appeared in only 10 games, finishing with 2,145 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions before his retirement announcement in May 2025.

Quarterback Style and Strengths

Carr was known for his accuracy, pocket presence, and leadership. His 65.1% career completion percentage and 92.8 passer rating demonstrated his consistency as a thrower. Carr excelled at reading defenses and making quick decisions, particularly in high-pressure situations. He was durable throughout much of his career, starting 91 consecutive regular-season games for the Raiders from 2017 to 2022, the longest active starting streak for a quarterback with one team during that span.

Notable Achievements and Milestones

Carr holds multiple franchise records for the Raiders, including most career passing yards, passing touchdowns, and pass completions. He became the first Raiders quarterback to throw for over 40,000 yards and the first to start all 16 games as a rookie. In college, he became Fresno State’s all-time leading passer and led the FBS in both passing yards and touchdowns during his senior season. His 513-yard passing game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2016 remains a Raiders franchise single-game record.

Derek Dallas Carr Career Statistics

Across 11 NFL seasons, Carr established himself as one of the most prolific passers in Raiders history while earning recognition as a four-time Pro Bowl selection.

NFL Career Highlights

Carr played 174 regular-season games with 169 starts, completing 3,765 of 5,785 pass attempts for 41,245 yards, 257 touchdowns, and 112 interceptions. His career passer rating of 92.8 ranks among the best in NFL history. Carr earned Pro Bowl honors in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2022, representing his consistent performance across multiple seasons. He led the Raiders to playoff appearances in 2016 and 2021, the franchise’s first postseason berths in over a decade.

College and Additional Honors

At Fresno State, Carr passed for 12,843 yards and 113 touchdowns over four seasons. He won the Sammy Baugh Trophy in 2013 as the nation’s top collegiate passer and was named Mountain West Male Athlete of the Year. His number 4 was retired by the university during halftime of a 2017 game against Incarnate Word.

Derek Dallas Carr Family

Family Background and Football Lineage

Derek Carr comes from a distinguished football family. His oldest brother, David Carr, was the first overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans and played 11 seasons in the NFL with various teams. Their uncle, Lon Boyett, played at tight end for the Raiders during the 1978 season, continuing the family’s connection to the franchise Derek would later join. The Carr brothers both became successful quarterbacks, with Derek following in David’s footsteps at Fresno State.

Personal Life

Carr married his wife, Heather, on June 29, 2012. The couple have three sons and one daughter. Their oldest son was born with intestinal malrotation, a medical condition that required three surgeries to correct. Carr is a Christian and has stated his faith is the most important thing in his life. He has tattoos on both wrists, with the left citing a verse from the Biblical Book of Jeremiah and the right depicting a Chi Rho symbol. Carr attended Bakersfield Christian High School for his senior year after playing at Clements High School in Texas.

2025 Season Performance

On May 10, 2025, Derek Carr announced his retirement from professional football after 11 seasons. The decision was motivated by longstanding pain in his right shoulder resulting from a labral tear as well as other significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff. After consulting with the Saints’ medical team, surgery was presented as an option, but Carr decided against it, stating he could no longer perform at the high level expected of himself. Carr’s retirement brought an end to a career highlighted by durability, consistency, and franchise records with both the Raiders and Saints.