“He Would Call Me at Night”: Derek Carr Reflects on Jon Gruden Coaching Him in Las Vegas

The partnership between Derek Carr and Jon Gruden defined an important stretch of the Las Vegas Raiders franchise. When Gruden returned to the Raiders in 2018, Carr was already the team’s established starter, and the two spent four seasons working closely together while reshaping the offense.

Their collaboration produced some of the best stretches of Carr’s career, including a 4,804-yard passing season in 2021. The quarterback often described their relationship as demanding but deeply collaborative, with Gruden pushing him to master every detail of the offense.

That dynamic recently came up while Carr discussed coaching styles on the podcast, v, where he reflected on what it was like being coached by Gruden during their time together in Las Vegas.

Carr explained that Gruden set clear expectations early and wasn’t shy about holding him accountable. But the intensity, he said, was always paired with genuine support.

“No one coached me harder than Jon Gruden,”Carr said, noting that the longtime coach made sure players understood the criticism came from a place of respect. “He would tell me, ‘I’m going to hold you to this standard because I love you.’”

According to Carr, that approach extended well beyond game day. Gruden frequently followed up with his quarterback after games or meetings to break down specific moments.

“He would call me at night and be like, ‘Dude, great job on the slant, man. Great throw, great timing,’” Carr recalled. “But then he’d say, ‘You’ve got to be quicker.’ And it’s like, man — of course I’ll run through a wall for you.”

Carr said those conversations helped create the kind of trust that made Gruden’s demanding style effective. The quarterback believes understanding players on a personal level is a key part of building a strong culture inside a locker room.

During the same discussion, Carr also reflected on how Gruden’s personality evolved over the years. Some former players who played for the coach earlier in his career told Carr that the younger version of Gruden could be far harsher. By the time they worked together in Las Vegas, Carr believes he experienced a more balanced version of the coach.

“I definitely got the best version,” Carr said. “He’s a lifelong friend. He’s family to me. We talk almost every week still to this day.”

Carr even joked that sitting through Gruden’s offensive meetings felt like a full production.

“You could go through any install meeting in the league and learn something,” he said. “But you go in there with Jon Gruden and it feels like a Disney ESPN production. You’re sitting there like, ‘Do I have to pay for this?’ It was awesome.”

While Carr is currently weighing whether he’ll return to the NFL after stepping away from the New Orleans Saints, Gruden remains something of a “free-agent” coach himself. The 62-year-old hasn’t coached in the league since resigning from the Raiders in 2021 following the emergence of emails containing racist, misogynistic, and homophobic language.

Gruden has stayed connected to football in smaller roles, including a brief consulting stint with the Saints in 2022, and teams have reportedly explored bringing him back in some capacity. Most recently, the New York Jets were said to have contacted him about joining the staff of head coach Aaron Glenn, though he ultimately declined the opportunity.

For Carr, however, the legacy of their partnership goes far beyond the headlines. Years after they last worked together on the Raiders’ sideline, he still considers Gruden one of the most influential figures of his career.

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