The 2018 season has been a major letdown for the Oakland Raiders, who hoped that the return of $100 million head coach Jon Gruden would be enough to help quarterback Derek Carr regain his Pro Bowl form.

Instead, the Raiders are tied with the Arizona Cardinals for the worst record in the NFL at 3-11. Rather than potentially compete for a playoff spot, the Raiders are simply trying to avoid finishing with the worst record in the NFL by season's end.

Some even wonder if Carr is playing out his final games as a Raider, with Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic recently reporting that some teammates wondered if the 27-year-old is capable of leading this team in the future.

Even though it's been another terrible season for Carr, Gruden is actually pleased with how his signal-caller has performed throughout the season.

"We are very pleased and proud of what he has done," Gruden said, according to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "We know we got to get better around him, and that we will."

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Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Through Week 15, Carr has a 68.4 completion percentage for 3,697 yards, 19 touchdowns, eight interceptions, along with nine fumbles. Those aren't horrible numbers, but the Raiders expect better for a guy who received a $125 million contract extension in the 2017 offseason.

Two seasons ago, Carr led the Raiders to their first playoff berth in 14 years. They finished with a 12-4 record, but he unfortunately broke his leg in Week 16 and had to miss the rest of the season. Oakland lost to the Houston Texans in the AFC Wild Card Round, and it's been nothing but downhill for the organization since.

What This Means

Gruden already traded away two young stars in Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper, but he sounds confident in Carr's ability to lead this team in 2019 and beyond. Even though a handful of starting quarterbacks figure to change teams after this season, it sounds like Carr will stay with the Raiders for at least another year.

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