Derek Carr hopes the Las Vegas Raiders will name Rich Bisaccia as permanent head coach following their elimination from the NFL playoffs.
Bisaccia, previously the special teams coordinator, has served as interim head coach since October when Jon Gruden resigned.
After steading the ship he led the Raiders into the postseason with four straight wins down the stretch but the team's hopes were ended in the Wild Card round on Saturday.
The home Cincinnati Bengals held on to triumph 26-19 and celebrate a first postseason win for 31 years, leaving the Raiders still waiting to end their own drought which has run since 2002.
Carr, who only has one year left on his contract, threw an interception on fourth-and-goal with 12 seconds remaining after earlier finding Zay Jones in the end zone as his team attempted to recover from 14 points behind.
The quarterback completed 29 of 54 passes and hopes it is Bisaccia who returns in 2022 as the Raiders begin to turn their attention to next season.
"I think we can all think that he's the right guy," said Carr, per ESPN.
"He has proven that people listen to him. Our team listens to him and I love him so much, I'm thankful for him.
"All those things will be decisions that I don't make, I don't get to make. I just play quarterback, but with everything that went on, if you really look at what happened, all the pieces missing, everything that changed.
"Yeah, he held it together."
As well as Gruden's exit, Carr discussed the release of leading receiver Henry Ruggs III and a host of injuries suffered by Raiders receivers and offensive linemen in a tumultuous year.
"You go on and on and on and on, and that's just offense," he said.
"The fact that that staff kept everything together and kept us competitive and kept us finding ways to win football games, I think that's what our organization is about, right?
"So, we'll see what happens. We know what we want to have happen. But, again, we're Raiders. We're going to play football, but we just hope it, obviously, we hope it's for somebody special."
Asked about his own future, Carr cited his agent's strong relationship with the team and added: "Lord knows there's been a lot of things to communicate about, right?
"When the time comes, I never want a face-to-face. I'm going to play quarterback, but my message will be talked about.
"I'm not going to go to dinner and say, 'We have to do something.' I'm not that guy. I'll let my voice be heard, but in a different way."
Star pass-rusher Maxx Crosby also spoke up for Bisaccia after the game.
"If it was up to me, I think everyone in the world knows what my decision would be," he said. "One of the best people I know.
"I love Rich. You know, I'm biased, obviously, but he's a great coach, he came in and got us to 10 wins. We came on the road, on a short week, and gave Cincinnati everything they could handle."
Bisaccia would not be drawn on his job chances, nor did he discuss the controversial Bengals touchdown which saw Tyler Boyd catch a Joe Burrow pass seemingly after a whistle had been blown by game officials.
"I'm just thinking about those guys in that locker room that played the game with their heart and soul out there like that and had a chance to win at the end," Bisaccia said.
"We just ran out of time. We did some uncharacteristic things with some penalties and gave up some drives and didn't capitalise when we had it in the red zone at times. So it just didn't go our way."
On the TD controversy, he added of the officials: "I think that's a good crew.
"There's a lot of things that went on in the game both ways. I got enough problems with my job, I can't do the officiating, too."
The Raiders' Darren Waller had seven catches for 76 yards, while Josh Jacobs had 83 on the ground at Paul Brown Stadium.
Jaguars, QB Lawrence agree to 5-year, $275 million extension
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars have agreed to a five-year, $275 million extension that includes $200 million guaranteed, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.
With a $55 million average salary, Lawrence ties Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow for the most in NFL history.
Detroit’s Jared Goff, Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts and Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers are the other quarterbacks making at least $50 million per year.
Lawrence’s deal is surpassed in total guaranteed and fully guaranteed money only by Burrow and Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson.
The 24-year-old Lawrence is entering the fourth season of his rookie deal and the Jaguars exercised his fifth-year option earlier this offseason.
The first overall pick in the 2021 draft, Lawrence has completed 63.8 percent of his passes in 50 regular season starts for 11,770 yards with 58 touchdowns and 39 interceptions. He has compiled a 21-31 record as a starter in three seasons, including 1-1 in the playoffs. He led the Jaguars to an AFC South title and a playoff win in 2022, earning a Pro Bowl selection.
Jacksonville and Lawrence got off to an 8-3 start last season and appeared to be legitimate contenders in the AFC, but the Jaguars lost five of their final six games and failed to reach the playoffs after spending three months atop the AFC South.
Lawrence missed the first game of his career against Carolina on December 31 due to a shoulder injury, a 26-0 victory for the Jaguars.
He also missed significant practice time because of other injuries: a sprained left knee in Week 6, a sprained right ankle in Week 13 and a concussion in Week 15.
Patriots to retire number 12 shirt and build statue in Brady's honour
The New England Patriots will retire the number 12 shirt and build a statue in honour of iconic quarterback Tom Brady.
Brady was inducted into the Patriots' Hall of Fame on Wednesday, having led them to six Super Bowl titles during his 20-year stint with the franchise.
The three-time MVP is the all-time regular-season leader in pass attempts (12,050), completions (7,753), passing yards (89,214) and touchdown passes (649) in the NFL.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft said the statue would be placed outside the franchise's Hall of Fame to recognise Brady "not as the greatest in franchise history, but as the greatest in all of NFL history".
"I am eternally grateful. I am Tom Brady. And I am a Patriot," Brady said at the ceremony at the Gilette Stadium.
Former Patriots coach Bill Belichick added: "Thank you for all that you've done for us. Thank you for all you've done for me. And thank you for the example and motto you've been for all of us on a daily basis for 20 years."
Kelce showing no signs of retirement ahead of 2024 season with Chiefs
Travis Kelce has no intentions of making this upcoming NFL season his last, though acknowledged the end is nearer than the beginning of his illustrious career.
The Kansas City Chiefs star is a three-time Super Bowl champion, defeating the San Francisco 49ers for his most recent crown last season.
With preparations already underway for the 2024 campaign, the 34-year-old – a nine-time Pro Bowler – understandably has the future on his mind.
Yet Kelce has no doubts over his ambitions this year, signalling that there is still life in his ageing career with the Chiefs.
"I love coming to work every single day and doing this, so I am going to do it until the wheels fall off and hopefully that doesn't happen anytime soon," Kelce said after the Chiefs' practice on Tuesday.
"I can't put a time frame on it, man. I know that there are opportunities outside of football for me and I think you've got to keep in perspective that I'm still a little kid when I come into this building.
"I know I'm 34 years old, about to be 35, but I have a love to do this right here in the middle of the heat in June."
Kelce's relationship with global superstar singer Taylor Swift has drawn unprecedented media attention off the field, while he has shown interest in acting after his career ends.
Hosting a podcast with his brother Jason, another former NFL star, Kelce has multiple options when he chooses to call time on his playing days.
"I do take the offseason to get away and kind of recharge, but at the same time, I'm a football player," Kelce added.
"I love playing in the NFL and this will always be my main focus, but outside of that, football ends for everybody, so kind of dipping your toes in the water and seeing what you like in different areas in different career fields, I think the offseason is the best chance you can get."
As for on the field, the Chiefs added two tight ends this year with veteran Irv Smith Jr. and draft pick Jared Wiley.
Noah Gray, their fourth-leading receiver last season, is also back, suggesting Kansas coach Andy Reid is keen to manage Kelce's workload.
"It's my job to make sure that Coach Reid has full confidence in me whenever he needs me out on that field or whenever I'm out on that field," Kelce said.
"As much as I want to be out there every single play, I understand that it's for the better of the team when I'm not.
"I'm more comfortable with that right now because of the guys that we have in the room. We've got a lot of great tight ends in the building and it's fun seeing them have success as well."
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