The Raiders have made Derek Carr the highest-paid player in NFL history, and so begins the teeth-gnashing on Twitter and elsewhere about whether he's worth it and whatnot. It's pointless; this is what franchise quarterbacks make these days, the franchises themselves are making enough money to afford it, and Carr will probably be the highest-paid player for a very short period of time; two years from now he won't be in the top 10.
Anyhoo, Carr hasn't won a playoff game yet, but he's given the Raiders excellent play at quarterback, particularly last year. Yes, he was working behind one of the league's two best offensive lines, but even still it was very impressive how rarely he hurt the offense.
No team's quarterbacks were sacked as seldom as Oakland's, and no team's quarterbacks gave up as few sack yards per game. Give the line some credit, but give Carr plenty, too.
QUARTERBACK SACKS AND LOST YARDS, 2016 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Team | Sack | Yds Lost | Per Game |
Oakland | 18 | 86 | 5.4 |
New England | 24 | 148 | 9.3 |
NY Giants | 22 | 148 | 9.3 |
Dallas | 28 | 168 | 10.5 |
Chicago | 28 | 170 | 10.6 |
Kansas City | 32 | 174 | 10.9 |
Pittsburgh | 21 | 175 | 10.9 |
Tennessee | 28 | 179 | 11.2 |
NY Jets | 35 | 179 | 11.2 |
New Orleans | 27 | 184 | 11.5 |
San Diego | 36 | 188 | 11.8 |
Washington | 23 | 190 | 11.9 |
Jacksonville | 34 | 197 | 12.3 |
Philadelphia | 33 | 213 | 13.3 |
Buffalo | 46 | 214 | 13.4 |
Detroit | 37 | 216 | 13.5 |
Miami | 30 | 216 | 13.5 |
Denver | 40 | 229 | 14.3 |
Atlanta | 37 | 235 | 14.7 |
Tampa Bay | 35 | 239 | 14.9 |
Houston | 32 | 242 | 15.1 |
Baltimore | 33 | 243 | 15.2 |
Green Bay | 35 | 246 | 15.4 |
San Francisco | 47 | 255 | 15.9 |
Cincinnati | 41 | 264 | 16.5 |
Carolina | 36 | 277 | 17.3 |
Minnesota | 38 | 283 | 17.7 |
Indianapolis | 44 | 289 | 18.1 |
Arizona | 41 | 289 | 18.1 |
Seattle | 42 | 298 | 18.6 |
Los Angeles | 49 | 362 | 22.6 |
Cleveland | 66 | 429 | 26.8 |
--Andy Richardson