Derek Carr dreamed of becoming the Raiders' franchise leader in passing touchdowns as a kid, and in his seventh season as the team's quarterback, he's done it.
Rodger Carr, Derek's father, and a devout Raiders fan educated his son about his favorite player, Ken Stabler, and the greatness of the Raiders. In 10 seasons with the Silver and Black, Stabler totaled 150 passing touchdowns and established himself as one of the best in team history. At an early age, Derek understood what it means to wear the Silver and Black and throughout his seven seasons with the team, he's paid homage to Stabler on numerous occasions.
Carr said the record snuck up on him.
"The first time I thought about it in a long time was driving to the facility yesterday," Carr said. "I took a moment and just thought about the Snake and his greatness. He's the best, man."
On fourth-and-one, late in the fourth quarter, Carr dropped a perfect pass to Nelson Agholor in the back corner of the end zone. Carr's touch couldn't have been any better, as he etched himself in the history books.
"I tip my hat to [Stabler's] family," Carr said. "They've been so gracious to me. So loving to me. I wish I could've met [Stabler], talked to him, learn from him. I didn't have that opportunity obviously."
Earlier in the game, Carr tied Stabler's record (150) with a three-yard touchdown to veteran tight end Jason Witten. The catch also helped Witten reach 13,000 receiving yards for his career, becoming one of 19 players in NFL history to do so.
Despite making history, Carr was clear about what matters more to him: winning.
"If we could've won, then it feels better," Carr said. "I'm sick of losing. I'm sick of working as hard as I do and as we do, and going out there and losing. It sucks. Enough is enough. I think that's my message: I'm excited for [the record]— I dreamed of it when I got drafted here. I looked all those stats up and was like, 'Man, I want to break all of these as a competitor.' But I'm sick of losing; enough's enough. I'm tired of it."
