“He needs to go be a great player” - NFL analyst sets high bar for Derek Carr in 2022

Derek Carr has been consistently solid as the starting quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders. After making the playoffs last year and adding superstar wide receiver Davante Adams during the offseason, Carr will be looking to help the Raiders take another step forward during the 2022 NFL season.

NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky recently appeared on an episode of First Take to discuss his thoughts on Carr for this upcoming season. He started by talking about his recent history.

"Over the last four years he’s been a really good player, a really good quarterback. Now that you have one of the best receivers in football, it's no longer okay to be really good. You have to go now and be great. This is a quarterback that's thrown for 4,000 yards for four straight years. That's really good in the NFL."

Orlovsky continued by pointing out one of the flaws in Carr's production.

"His highest touchdown season is 27 in that four-year span. That's good in the league, but not right now when guys are throwing for high 30s and low 40s on a consistent basis. The average is like 23 touchdowns and 10 picks over that four-year span."

He continued by explaining why Carr should be expected to elevate his game this year.

"So Derek Carr has lived in this world of flirting as a top 10 player, top 12 player. The addition of Davante Adams, who is a guy that completely changes the way that defense is planned for your offense, now that he's got him, he needs to go be a great player. He needs to go and have his first 5000-yard season and 40 touchdowns as a quarterback."

Orlovsky concludes by talking about how the pressure has shifted.

"So I think because of that addition to Derek and subtraction from Aaron, it relieves a little pressure on Aaron Rodgers in his case, and adds a tremendous amount to Derek's."

While adding a superstar wide receiver like Davante Adams clearly increases expectations for Carr this year, so does the massive contract extension he signed during the 2022 NFL offseason.

Derek Carr's contract with the Raiders

Las Vegas Raiders QB Derek Carr

The Las Vegas Raiders rewarded Derek Carr with a massive three-year contract extension during the 2022 NFL offseason worth $121.5 million. More than half of the contract comes in guaranteed money and it carries $40.5 million in AAV, making him one of the top five highest paid quarterbacks in the NFL.

If you use any of the above quotes, please credit ESPN's First Take and H/T Sportskeeda