What characteristics make a quarterback of Super Bowl caliber? Stats? Eye examination? Compatibility of the system. It’s difficult to predict and likely impossible to predict, particularly for quarterbacks who spend most of their careers in challenging circumstances. Even though 2022 hasn’t gone quite as smoothly, Matthew Stafford was fortunate to escape his bad situation in Detroit and triumph in the Super Bowl with Los Angeles. Demonstrating that he had the elite talent that his critics had long said he was. Derek Carr might make the same choice, and I have a strange feeling.

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In his last season with Detroit, Stafford was 32 years old. In two months, Carr will turn 32. Although Carr only participated in one game due to an injury, both players made it to the playoffs at least twice, but they were never able to claim a postseason victory. Stafford spent his final nine seasons with Detroit under four different head coaches. Carr has gone through seven. For a few years, Calvin Johnson, who played wide receiver for Stafford, was perhaps the best in the NFL. This year, Carr has Davante Adams. He also had a receiving group that included Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree for many years.

Even more than the facts I have discussed, there are clear connections between these two quarterbacks. Between 2012 and 2020, Stafford recorded a mark of 6.44 in adjusted net yards per attempt. Carr, between 2014 and 2022, accumulated a total of 6.41. Stafford made twenty-six fourth-quarter comebacks. Carr owned 28. Thirty-two of Stafford’s drives resulted in victories. I’m not claiming that Carr would be an automatic success with a different squad. I never use such absolutes in my speech. Despite the issues, Carr and Stafford have many more similarities than differences. Carr is still relatively young, incredibly tough, and has long been a crucial veteran influence in the Raiders’ locker room.