Raiders HC Josh McDaniels Showed Derek Carr Film of Steph Curry to Prepare for Season

Josh McDaniels wants Derek Carr to be thinking like a champion in 2022.

Specifically, Stephen Curry.

The Las Vegas Raiders head coach has been showing Carr film of Curry throughout the offseason as McDaniels helps the quarterback refine his technique.

“The way Curry has the patience and the discipline on his pump fakes before taking those threes … that’s a perfect example of what I’m talking about,” McDaniels said, per Peter King of NBC Sports. “In a double move, if you don’t run the first route well first, the defender never jumps the play, right? Today we didn’t even run the first route, so the defender never budged—he knew the [receiver] was going up the field. Curry’s pump fakes are real. They make the defenders go zooming by.”

McDaniels, in his second stint as an NFL head coach, is attempting to help Carr make the leap from above-average NFL quarterback to bonafide star. The Raiders made an all-in effort to help Carr this offseason, reuniting him with former Fresno State teammate Davante Adams to give the offense a true WR1.

Carr is heading into his ninth season as the Raiders' starting quarterback but has never made a leap into the elite. He threw for a career-high 4,804 yards last season but was limited to 23 touchdowns against 14 interceptions.

The Raiders signed Carr to a three-year, $121.5 million extension in April—a move that seemed to indicate a long-term commitment until contract details came out. Las Vegas could theoretically move on from Carr early next offseason and take only a $5.6 million dead-cap charge.

If Carr doesn't heed McDaniels' teachings and become a signal-caller Splash Brother, this relationship may be one-and-done.