Derek Carr could make history with a loss on the road at Carolina this weekend. It just isn’t the kind of history that he, or any quarterback, wants to make.
There are 32 teams in the National Football League. No quarterback has ever lost to all 32 teams.
Carr cannot become the first to do so this season because he will not face his former team, the Raiders.
However, he can get one step closer, which would be a historic moment in itself.
Coming into the 2023 NFL season, nine quarterbacks have lost to 30 of 32 teams:
- Drew Bledsoe
- Brett Favre
- Drew Brees
- Matt Hasselbeck
- Jon Kitna
- Carson Palmer
- Alex Smith
- Matt Ryan
- Derek Carr
Ironically, Carr became the ninth quarterback to lose to 30 of 32 NFL teams with a loss to New Orleans last season. Now, in his first year with the Saints, he has two opportunities to create his own list!
One of the two teams to which Carr has never lost is the Panthers. He will face them on Sunday in Charlotte and a loss would make him the only quarterback to lose to 31 of 32 teams.
Should Carr and New Orleans win this weekend, they will face Carolina again at home on December 10. A loss in that game would also put the 10-year veteran in a league of his own.
There is an even bigger opportunity for truly unfortunate history in 2024.
If Carr loses either game against the Panthers this fall, he will have lost to 31 teams. The only team that he would be missing is the Raiders.
Assuming that he is still around, Carr and New Orleans will host Las Vegas next season!
Seven of the eight other quarterbacks to lose to 30 teams are retired. Ryan is the only one who might still have a chance to hit 31, though he seems pretty comfortable in the booth for CBS.
Carr cannot lose to Carolina or Las Vegas. Otherwise, it is hard to imagine another quarterback who will even come close to losing to 31 of 32 NFL teams in the near or distant future!