When performing a up-or-down exercise of whether any given player is a top-10 quarterback, the total list of top-10 quarterbacks quickly reaches 20. Thus, given that Derek Carr is once again being paid like a top-10 quarterback (unless the Raiders dump him after one year of his new four-year deal), it’s fair to ask whether he’s a top-10 quarterback.
The easy answer: No. He’s not.
He’s close. But there are at least 10 quarterbacks who are objectively better than Carr, currently.
In no particular order: Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Matthew Stafford, Deshaun Watson, Dak Prescott, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, and Russell Wilson. Objectively speaking, each is better than Carr. And that’s 11.
He likely lands somewhere between 11 and 16, rounding out the top half of the league. Those in that conversation include Matt Ryan, Ryan Tannehill, Kirk Cousins, Kyler Murray, and Carr.
Top 16 is nothing to be ashamed of. There are plenty of great quarterbacks currently in the NFL. Carr is one of them. But he’s not one of the best 10.
