Eight months after being removed from the gridiron, Derek Carr still bleeds silver and black. While it is not enough to lace up the cleats again, it is enough to entertain an unconventional idea. The former Las Vegas Raiders quarterback didn’t just express interest in coaching recently; he practically submitted his resume on air.

“I’m telling you right now, I know who it should be,” Derek told his brother David Carr on his Home Grown podcast on January 15. “I would love to be the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.”

While Carr’s declaration landed somewhere between genuine aspiration and playful fantasy, the timing couldn’t be more curious. Las Vegas just fired Pete Carroll after a disastrous 3-14 season. Now, the franchise finds itself at a familiar crossroads as they disposed off their fifth head coach in as many years since moving to Las Vegas.

As they hold the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft, their target is quite simple: Get a leader to the Raiders who can develop a rookie quarterback into the face of the franchise. Stability, offensive mindset, and some proven stats are also on the Raiders’ list as they continue their head coaching search.

Meanwhile, Derek Carr has spent nine seasons in Oakland and Las Vegas, enduring the relocation, regime changes, and rebuilding cycles that come with being a Raider. He’s thrown for 35,222 yards in silver and black to become their all-time passing leader, earning four Pro Bowl nods before the franchise moved on in 2023.

He, however, has no experience as a head coach, coordinator, or other. So, he understands that he won’t even get a chance to interview with minority owner Tom Brady and general manager John Spytek, who are leading the search. But he has one simple reason why he should be given an opportunity:

“I would love it,” Carr added. “You don’t understand how much I love the silver and black.”

And that’s coming from a man who had plenty to complain about regarding his former team once. A few months after the Raiders moved on from their longtime quarterback, after he posted a 6-9 record and second-worst completion percentage of his career (60.8%) in 2022, Carr openly talked about what was the last straw.

“Once they made my wife cry, that was pretty much over,” Carr said, when asked if he’d return to the team had the front office pursued him. “Once they made her cry, that was out. But the love for my teammates is what probably would have made me do it. But the way it worked out and the timing of things, I was just … it was time for me to move on. But who knows? You never know what will happen.”

Yet, that hasn’t dulled his affection for the franchise that drafted him back in 2014. This wasn’t his first mention of coaching aspirations either.

Back in December 2025, Carr told reporters about his post-playing dreams, listing coaching among the possibilities. What makes this podcast moment different is the specificity: the Raiders, the only NFL team he truly calls home.

Could it actually work? Former quarterbacks often transition to coaching, but rarely this quickly and seldom straight to head coach. Carr’s football IQ is unquestioned, and his nine years navigating the Raiders’ turbulence taught him lessons no playbook could provide. But leading a roster and commanding a locker room without coordinator experience is a big leap.

However, the decision won’t be Carr’s to make, or even owner Mark Davis’ alone. Carr would need Tom Brady’s approval. And so far, they’re going through interviews in a whirlwind.

Derek Carr adds another name in Raiders’ hiring cycle list

As of January 16, the Raiders have already interviewed eight candidates for their head coaching spot. These experienced names include former Cleveland Browns HC Kevin Stefanski, Kansas City’s OC Matt Nagy, Davis Webb, and Klint Kubiak. Each of these names brings special skills to the table for the Raiders, specifically an offensive mindset.

They’ve also interviewed some defensive experts in Green Bay’s Jeff Hafley, LA’s Jesse Minter, Vance Joseph, and Carolina’s Ejiro Evero. However, Derek Carr had another name to add to the mix: Curt Cignetti.

Given that the Raiders will most likely pick Fernando Mendoza, as he is projected to be the first overall pick, bringing in Cignetti would make sense. After all, not only did he breathe new life into Indiana, but he also has experience with the Heisman winner. Both qualities could intrigue Las Vegas as it moves forward in the hiring cycle. Additionally, their minority owner also has some things he is looking forward to in the next Raiders head coach.

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Tom Brady’s vision for the Raiders

Tom Brady, legendary quarterback, broadcaster, and a minority owner of the Raiders, is actively reshaping the Raiders’ future. Brady and general manager Spytek are on the hunt for the new head coach together, and Brady will have a big say in the final call. This involvement in the coaching search signals a franchise trying to leverage its championship pedigree to escape its mediocrity.

“I think every team right now is going through their own process to try to figure out what best suits them,” Brady noted in a recent interview. “We want to deliver a winner in Las Vegas. The fan base deserves it, and it’s been a long time. So, there’s a lot of pieces of the puzzle you got to get right, but I’m certainly very excited that we’re going to get things going in the right direction.”

The Raiders haven’t appeared in a Super Bowl game since 2002, when they lost the SB XXXVII 21-48 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Making the fact worse is that they won the Lombardi 42 years ago in 1983 with head coach Tom Flores.

Brady’s championship standards demand proven leadership. The Raiders have already looked into coaches like Brian Flores and Jesse Minter: experienced coaches who’ve climbed the traditional ladder. Derek Carr’s name carries a nostalgic appeal, sure, but that might not be enough to win football games.

Still, crazier things have happened in Las Vegas. Whether Brady, Spytek, and Davis see Carr as a genuine candidate or a sentimental footnote remains unclear. What’s certain is that Carr’s love for the Raiders never retired, even if he did.