Coach Jon Gruden suggested Carr will return as the Raiders' starting quarterback in 2019, Jerry McDonald of The San Jose Mercury News reports. "Look, you throw for 4,000 yards in the NFL with what [Carr]'s been through, it's quite a year, quite a year indeed," Gruden said Sunday. "A new system, young tackles, inside three guards are all gone, receivers are coming and going. A new feature back. He did some really good things to build upon. We need to get better around him and I've got to get better myself."
Carr finished 2018 with career-high marks in an odd assortment of categories, including completion percentage (68.9), passing yards (4,049), yards per attempt (7.3), sacks (51) and lost fumbles (seven). It didn't add up to much value in the fantasy universe, as he accounted for a career-low 20 touchdowns in an offense that scored just 27 times on the whole. Carr seemingly did enough to buy himself another season as the starter, but it isn't out of the question that general manager Mike Mayock might convince Gruden to take a closer look. Oakland owns the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, with two additional selections late in the first round. The team should at least take a close look at the available quarterbacks, though its early picks are more likely to be used on putting better players around Carr. The Raiders also figure to prioritize 31-year-old tight end Jared Cook, who just produced career-high numbers across the board in the second season of a two-year contract.