Carr: Gruden Wants Me To Take Greater Leadership Role

The Raiders are expected to make another trade or two before the 4:00 ET deadline today, but Derek Carr won’t be one of the players getting a new zip code.

One of the players expected to be dealt is DE/OLB Bruce Irvin, who also happens to be a team captain. If Irvin is traded (the Raiders are reportedly hoping to get a late-round pick in return), he will be the second team captain Jon Gruden has shipped away since the start of the season (Derrick Johnson).

The plan to fill that leadership void, according to Derek Carr, is that he will take a greater leadership role moving forward.

“I know that with certain guys gone I do have to step up being more vocal, that kind of stuff, nothing football-wise, nothing physical,” Carr said after Sunday’s loss to the Colts. “But leadership-wise, I do need to do those things better going forward and I will.”

“That was one of the things coach Gruden asked me to do, he said I need you to be better at… that was one thing. And obviously, he tells me a hundred things to be better at. That’s just one that stuck out to me, like, man, he’s right. Because when all our guys used to be here and things like that, there were a lot of powerful leaders on the team, so I didn’t have to say everything. And we still have a lot of those guys. But he just asked me to be more vocal, more verbal, but he believes in what I have to say.”

By the sound of things, Gruden’s plan is to double down on Carr and give him an even greater voice in the locker room than he already has. Maybe Gruden wants Carr to simply do a better job of holding teammates accountable – something that may come more easily for him with a few personalities no longer in the locker room?

Certainly once the trade deadline passes and the team can move forward with who is still around, it will be interesting to see how the team responds to Carr, and ultimately Gruden, moving forward.

twitter: @raidersbeat

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3 thoughts on “Carr: Gruden Wants Me To Take Greater Leadership Role

  1. The Raiders should make a statement today, release Irvin. Get nothing for him. That’s what he’s worth. Not only does he suck on the field, the guy is really just an a**hole. Get tumors like that gone before they metastasize.

  2. He’ll get another year to prove he’s “the man for the job” and if it doesn’t work out he gets traded, with his replacement being drafted in the 2020 draft. The 2019 draft is void of franchise QB’s. If this was last year Carr would have been gone already and we would be drafting one of Mayfield, Darnold, Rosen, Allen, etc…..guaranteed…..

  3. Well the 49’er are one of teams we are tied with (Giants) for the #1 draft choice so I don’t see us winning this one so we cankeep in the running for #1. That is what it is all about isn’t it?

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