Derek Dallas Carr (born March 28, 1991) is an American former professional football quarterback who played 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Fresno State Bulldogs, receiving first-team All-Mountain West Conference honors twice before being selected by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft.
A four-time Pro Bowler, Carr helped the Raiders reach the playoffs during the 2016 season, the franchise's first appearance since 2002, as well as another postseason berth in 2021. Following a 2022 season that was below expectations, Carr lost his starting job and agreed with Raiders leadership to be released following the conclusion of the season. He left the Raiders as the franchise leader in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and pass completions. After leaving the Raiders, Carr played two seasons for the New Orleans Saints before announcing his retirement in 2025 due to a severe rotator cuff injury.
Carr was born in Fresno, California, the youngest of three children to Rodger and Sheryl Carr. He and his family lived in Bakersfield before relocating to Sugar Land, Texas, in 2002 when his oldest brother, David Carr, became the first overall draft pick of the then-expansion Houston Texans. Carr and his family moved back to Bakersfield for his senior year, and he attended Bakersfield Christian High School.
Carr's high school football career began at Clements High School in Sugar Land, Texas. After playing on the freshman team his first year, he became a backup quarterback on the varsity team as a sophomore. He did not prepare himself to become the starting quarterback, but a preseason injury to another quarterback thrust him into the role.
Carr made gradual progress as a starter for the Clements High School Rangers. He passed for 1,246 yards and 12 touchdowns as a sophomore, and 1,622 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior. While a junior, Carr led his team to an undefeated 13–0 season (playoffs included) before losing in the quarterfinals of the 2007 Class 5A Division 2 State playoffs in Region 3 to a Bo Levi Mitchell-led (and also undefeated) Katy High School Tigers, the eventual champions. Also during his junior year, Carr was heavily recruited. His college choices included Fresno State, SMU, Boise State, the University of Southern California, UCLA, and Utah. Of these schools, only Fresno State, SMU, and Utah made a scholarship offer to Carr. Ultimately, he verbally committed to Fresno State on May 25, 2008, at the end of his junior year. Carr was the program's first recruit of the 2009 class.
In 2008, Bakersfield Christian High School athletic director and former NFL player Doug Barnett confirmed that Carr would transfer to BCHS, amid rumors that he would have gone to nearby Stockdale High School or Bakersfield High School, two schools with historically good football programs.
As a senior, Carr led the Eagles football team to a 12–1 record and the California Interscholastic Federation Central Section Division V championship; the only blemish came at home against Oaks Christian High School, a national football powerhouse, during the team's season opener. On October 29, 2008, Carr was selected by ESPN RISE as the National Football Player of the Week after passing for 441 yards and three touchdowns in a game against Tehachapi High School five days earlier. Carr would eventually set a Central Section record by throwing 544 yards in a win against Arvin High School on November 7, 2008. Carr was also selected by The Bakersfield Californian as the 2008 All-Area Football Player of the Year. Carr also set a new school record when he passed for six touchdowns and ran for two in a blowout win against small school Fowler High at home. After his high school football career finished, Carr was named the National Player of the Year by the National Private Schools Athletic Association in 2009.
Carr enrolled as an early-entry freshman for the spring semester at Fresno State, where his brother David also played quarterback, in 2009 so he could participate in spring football with the Bulldogs. Fresno State head coach Pat Hill stated that Carr, a true freshman, was "in the mix" for the starting quarterback position as late as mid-July. However, days before the 2009 season began in September, Hill announced junior Ryan Colburn would start over Carr. Carr appeared in five games as a freshman in limited action.
Colburn continued to be the Bulldogs' starter going into 2010. After redshirting his 2010 season, Carr took over the starting quarterback position for Fresno State in the fall of 2011.
Carr earned his opportunity to start for the Bulldogs in their 4–9 season in 2011. He made his first appearance as starter in the Bulldogs' season-opening loss to California. Three weeks later, Carr had a breakout game in a victory over Idaho with 371 passing yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions. Six games later, on November 12 in a loss to New Mexico State, he had a season-high 391 passing yards and three touchdowns. In the 2011 season, Carr passed for 3,544 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He was among the passing leaders of the Western Athletic Conference in numerous categories.
Going into the season, Carr had a new head coach in Tim DeRuyter, who replaced the fired Pat Hill. Carr helped lead the Bulldogs to a significant improvement, going 9–4 in 2012. Going into the season, Davante Adams was coming off a redshirt and instantly became a reliable target for Carr.
After splitting the first two games of the season, Carr passed for 300 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception in a victory over Colorado on September 15. Two weeks later, Carr had a career game in a 52–40 victory over San Diego State. He passed for a school-record tying 536 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions. On October 27, in a game on the road against New Mexico, he had 416 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception in the 49–32 victory. In the Bulldogs' regular season finale against Air Force, he had 452 passing yards and four touchdowns in the 48–15 victory. In the 2012 season, he passed for 4,104 yards, 37 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He won the MWC Offensive Player of the Year for the 2012 season. Like the previous season, his passing totals were among the Mountain West Conference leaders in numerous categories.
Carr helped lead the Bulldogs to an 11–2 record in the 2013 season. The 11 wins marked the most for the Bulldogs since 2001.
In the regular season opener, Carr completed 52 passes on 73 attempts for 456 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception in a 52–51 victory over Rutgers. Carr's pass attempts and completions in the game set new school and conference records. Following a win over Cal Poly in the next game, Carr passed for 460 yards and four touchdowns in a victory over Boise State to move the Bulldogs to a 3–0 mark. After a victory over Hawaii in the fourth game, Carr reeled off two consecutive games with over 400 passing yards in two victories. In that stretch was a five-touchdown game against Idaho and a four-touchdown game against UNLV. The Bulldogs moved to a 7–0 mark following a victory over San Diego State on October 26. The month of November marked a start of impressive games statistically for Carr. Against Nevada, he had 487 passing yards and three touchdowns in the victory on November 2. The next week, he had 360 yards and four touchdowns in a victory over Wyoming. Two weeks later, he had 522 passing yards and seven touchdowns in a victory over New Mexico to move the Bulldogs to a 10–0 record. In that stretch, the Bulldogs earned as high of a ranking of 15 in the AP Poll, their highest since 2001. On November 29, Carr passed for 519 yards, six touchdowns, and one interceptions as the Bulldogs dropped their first game, a 62–52 shootout, to San Jose State. Fresno State qualified for the MWC Championship Game. Against Utah State, Carr passed for 404 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions in the 24–17 victory. The victory marked the first time Fresno State won the conference outright. He finished his collegiate career with 217 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in a 45–20 loss to USC in the Las Vegas Bowl.