Upon his discovery of the fountain of youth in Tampa Bay, Tom Brady's ageless accomplishments have inspired others it would appear.
Moving from the quarterback of a swashbuckling band of Buccaneers in the east to the QB of a marauding bunch of Raiders to the west, Derek Carr sees a lengthy voyage still ahead.
Just 30-years-old, Carr eyes plenty more seasons in front of him – more than double what's he's currently played.
"I feel like I can play another 15 years, without a doubt," Carr said Wednesday, via ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez. "Nothing's hurting. It's the middle of camp, and I feel great. I feel strong, I feel fast, I feel explosive. And I think it's just the way we train now."
With Brady having led the Buccaneers to a world championship and hauled in the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player at the age of 43, anything seems possible in the optimistic gaze of quarterbacks now.
Having just turned 44-years-young and convinced many a signal-caller that 40 is the new 30, Brady has previously said he’d consider playing past 45. That's the age Carr would hit in the upcoming 2035 season if he's to play another 15 seasons (including this one).
Underrated and over scrutinized as Carr is, his numbers such as three-straight 4,000-plus-yard seasons with completion percentages north of 67 seem to be shrugged off when arguing his abilities. Inarguable has been his durability, though. In his seven seasons with the Raiders, he's played and started 110 of a possible 112 games with three consecutive years of playing all 16 games.
Thus, Carr's spry nature is somewhat unsurprising and his outlook for having many autumns still ahead of him isn't totally stunning, but 15 is an eye-popping number – especially considering he's played only seven so far. Not to mention, Carr's previously stated he would probably retire if he wasn’t a Raider, so that's putting a lot of trust in the Silver and Black brass for more than a decade to come.
Indeed, it's a numbers game for Carr, who counts five gray hairs despite feeling like he's 20-years-old.
"The only thing that's different is I've got gray hairs in my beard," Carr said. "I haven't grown it out in a while; I've got five gray hairs. What is going on?
"I feel like I'm 20. I honestly believe this -- that our generation, the way we can take care of our bodies with football, I think 30 is the new 20. ... That comes from science, and that comes with more understanding."
Amid all the uncertainty of the preseason, optimism is the one certainty. Optimism not just for the season ahead, but for the next 15 – at least for Carr.
In many ways, this is another chapter in the Brady Effect. Having already established himself as the G.O.A.T in the eyes of many and in the universe of nicknames that stick, Brady's entrance and accomplishment in Tampa Bay has sent ripples through the quarterback fraternity. Stars such as Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers have angled for more input on their franchise's direction.
Now, his ability to continue defying logic at his age is making others believe they can play well into their 40s.
Though it's still many moons away, Carr is on the right track, having showcased the durability and, by his accord, having taken care of himself.
"I honestly feel stronger, faster, better than I first did when I got to the NFL," Carr said. "And that comes with more knowledge on how to train, how to eat, how to take care of your body. And that takes a little bit of money sometimes, but it's definitely worth it.
"Because I'm sitting here in Year 8, and I remember people ahead of me talking about Year 8 like, 'Yeah, I'm miserable,' and they can barely walk out of bed. I'm blessed, man. I don't have those problems. And I've had broken bones. But the way they rehab and stuff nowadays, I feel great."
Circle back in the 2035 season and see how this one ages.
