Derek Carr hasn’t even taken a snap in training camp yet with Josh McDaniels as his head coach.
But the Raiders quarterback says McDaniels is already making him better.
Mac Jones needs elite weapons
Speaking to reporters Wednesday ahead of the American Century Championship Celebrity tournament, Carr heaped praise on McDaniels, who was hired as the Raiders’ head coach earlier this offseason.
“It's fun for me. The best part of my game has always been the mental side. And that's how Josh is,” Carr said, per NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry. “He's a genius when it comes to scheming things up and teaching his system and getting the best out of his players.”
It’s been a turbulent eight-year run for Carr with the Raiders. He’s played under five head coaches and multiple offensive coordinators. Yet, he’s still put up some impressive numbers, passing for over 4,000 yards in each of the last four seasons. Las Vegas signed Carr to a three-year, $121.5 million extension in April.
He thinks playing under McDaniels will only improve his game.
“I feel like a better football player,” he said. “And I've had a lot of great coaches. He's come in, he's seen those things, 'Wow, that's awesome. What about this, too? What about this here?' It's helping me grow. It's been really fun to be around him.”
Those comments are tough to read, considering Mac Jones is stuck working with Joe Judge and Matt Patricia, neither of whom have ever coached quarterbacks or called offensive plays. Jones thrived player under McDaniels last season, and could regress in his all-important sophomore campaign due to a lack of support.
McDaniels also brought former Patriots offensive coaches Mick Lombardi, Bo Hardegree and Carmen Bricillo with him to Las Vegas.
Despite that, Carr says McDaniels isn’t trying to create “Patriots West” in Vegas.
“One thing Josh has done is he's come in and he says, 'This is not New England. This is Las Vegas. We're gonna do things our way. I've learned a lot of great things there that we're going to implement, but I also have some things that I want to do my way,'" Carr said.
Nearly every quarterback with whom McDaniels worked in New England — Tom Brady, Matt Cassel, Jimmy Garoppolo and Jones — blossomed under his tutelage. McDaniels even managed to squeeze seven wins out of Cam Newton, who could barely throw the ball downfield.
The immediate future is bright for Carr. McDaniels’ presence is already being felt in Las Vegas, and it’s already missed in Foxborough.