Gruden praises Carr, downplays Brady rumors: 'We love our quarterback'

Pursuing six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady may be tempting, but Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden reiterated this past weekend the team is happy with its current starting quarterback.

"You're killing me, man," Gruden said when asked about his team's interest in Brady, according to John Katsilometes of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "We love our quarterback. Our quarterback's a really good player, Derek Carr. I want to reiterate that to everybody here in Vegas. We've got a good, young quarterback, and the film, the statistics, and analytics prove it."

Gruden did note the Raiders will "be in the market to try to improve at every position" while discussing other players on the roster.

Carr established career highs in completion percentage (70.4), passing yards (4,054), and yards per attempt (7.9) in 2019. The 28-year-old also tossed 21 touchdowns against eight interceptions.

The three-time Pro Bowler is signed through the 2022 season, earning around $19 million in annual base salary. The Raiders could release him for a dead cap hit of $7.9 million this offseason, according to OverTheCap.

Gruden said in February he's "anxious to continue to build around" Carr ahead of the 2020 campaign, Gruden's third since returning to the sidelines.

The Raiders were reported in early February to be potential suitors for Brady should he become a free agent on March 18. Las Vegas is also reportedly interested in adding a veteran backup signal-caller in free agency and it's believed the team will prioritize that search over pursuing Brady.

Brady, 42, threw for 4,057 yards and 24 touchdowns while tossing eight interceptions in 2019.

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