ARLINGTON, TX – APRIL 26: Pro Football Hall of Famer and NFL Network Analyst Michael Irvin reacts during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium on April 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
A lot of quarterbacks head into the 2022 NFL season with heavy expectations. But for Hall of Fame wide receiver and NFL analyst Michael Irvin, there’s one who he thinks has the most pressure this year.
Appearing on ESPN’s First Take today, Irvin declared that Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr is under the most pressure. He cited former head coach Jon Gruden’s decision to pass on a chance at signing Tom Brady in 2020 in order to keep Carr instead.
Carr led the Raiders to the playoffs in 2021, but they were promptly eliminated by the Cincinnati Bengals. He has yet to win a playoff game in his eight NFL seasons, and Irvin has decided that the excuses are over.
“There is no more excuse for you,” Irvin declared. “You have to show up right now.”
In his first four NFL seasons, Derek Carr consistently ranked among the best quarterbacks in the league. He made three straight Pro Bowls between 2015 and 2017, and finished third in the MVP voting in 2016.
But his regular season numbers have rarely translated into wins. He has just two winning seasons and is 57-70 as a starter.
Given the arms race that the AFC West division race has turned into with three other Pro Bowl quarterbacks to battle, Carr needs to have the best season of his career just to get the Raiders back to the playoffs, let alone a postseason game.
Is Derek Carr under the most pressure in the NFL, or is Michael Irvin wrong about him?
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