Keyshawn Johnson has an astounding entry on his elite QB list.
A Wednesday “First Take” segment about elite quarterbacks was likely publicized to get viewers to yell at the screen over Keyshawn Johnson’s opinion, and it’s hard not to take the bait.
No one would probably have any issue with Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson and Tom Brady being included on this list. But the insane take is the inclusion of Derek Carr — and omission of Josh Allen.
There could also be a reasonable argument for Ryan Tannehill in this upper echelon of QBs. You could say Lamar Jackson could fit there being just one season removed from an MVP campaign. And you could mention that Matthew Stafford might flourish with the Rams in Sean McVay’s system.
Johnson’s logic is that Derek Carr was an MVP candidate before fracturing his fibula in 2016, has had a bad defense and had to endure a system change with Jon Gruden (whom Johnson has tumultuous history with after being cut midseason in Tampa Bay in 2003). This would all make plausible sense if he were trying to argue that Carr is above average.
But elite? That’s a tough sell.
Last season, the Raiders QB ranked 11th in Total QBR, 11th in touchdown passes, 10th in competition percentage, 10th in quarterback rating and seventh in yards per attempt. These are stronger numbers than one might have guessed, but they’re hardly elite.
Derek Carr is an elite NFL quarterback, according to Keyshawn Johnson. Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostAllen, meanwhile, ranked third in Total QBR, fifth in touchdown passes, fourth in completion percentage, fourth in quarterback rating and fifth in yards per attempt.
Looking at the two quarterbacks’ respective MVP odds on DraftKings for this upcoming season, Allen is at 12/1 and Carr sits at 65/1.
If Johnson truly believes Carr is elite, there’s a lot of value on the board there for him.
