Derek Carr has been busy this offseason, from moving to Las Vegas to announcing his wife, Heather, is pregnant with a girl, but it hasn't prevented him from focusing on his post-season goal in 2020.
Wednesday afternoon, Derek hopped on a video call with his brother and NFL Network analyst, David Carr, to share how he's adjusted to a virtual offseason, the 2021 Pro Bowl announcement, and more.
With teams forced to adapt to COVID-19, virtual team meetings have become the norm, and Head Coach Jon Gruden is still as intense as ever according to Carr.
"He's always intense, I don't know if there's a time that 'Gru' is not intense? We're having a good time, man, it's been really fun doing these meetings," Carr explained. "I feel like we're really working hard, I feel like we're getting a lot done. We've got some young guys, some new guys that are going to play big roles for us. So, I feel like this has been really good for us, this is the best we can do right now."
Carr has taken it upon himself to go the extra mile by hosting player-organized workouts in Las Vegas with members of the offense and defense. While there are several returning players, there's also a handful of new additions, and the best way to get acclimated with one another is through live reps.
Soon enough, Carr and his teammates will set foot in the Raiders' new stadium — which he's toured numerous times — anxious to put on a spectacle in an arena representative of the team.
"It's unbelievable," Carr said in reference to Allegiant Stadium. "It's like that stadium definitely belongs across the street from the strip. You can see it from everywhere in town. You can see it from the golf course, from the houses, it's just awesome and it looks like the Raiders' stadium."
Allegiant Stadium will undoubtedly be the newest and brightest attraction in town and will become the marquee venue for events, such as the 2021 Pro Bowl. Tuesday, the NFL and Raiders announced the league's All-Star game would be coming to the Entertainment Capital of the World next season.
"Hopefully it's a thing every year, to be honest," Carr said. "I think [the Pro Bowl] should stay here, but like I've talked to you about, I've been to three Pro Bowls, it's blessing, it's cool, but I'm trying to do some other things.
"I'm trying to play in the Super Bowl, I'm trying to win the Super Bowl. The Pro Bowl is fun and all that stuff, it's exciting and I think it's great for the community, I think it's a great thing for fans to see some of their favorite players up close and personal, and not just on Twitter or Instagram. You know me, I've got different plans this year."
As the former Fresno State Bulldog enters his third year in Gruden's system, he's prepared to take his game and the team as a whole to new heights. Since Carr entered the league in 2014, he's never been focused on personal accolades, it's always been about the bigger objective.
Loaded with a fully upgraded tool kit, Carr has plenty of toys in the sandbox now and the Raiders' offense is capable of opening eyes in 2020 with one goal in mind.
