As QB1 for the Las Vegas Raiders, Derek Carr gets to celebrate the path that got him here when he lines up to take reps each and every day as one of the premiere quarterbacks in the NFL. The path wasn’t easy. The workouts are demanding, conditioning is a grind and throughout the professional ranks, there’s only 32 positions available for starting quarterbacks.
Derek Carr’s motivation is grounded in his gratitude toward those who believed and invested in him over the years. It fuels his drive for continual personal improvement as he seeks the best version of himself. He lifts hard and heavy all throughout the season, and takes a lot of pride in not missing games, practices or reps at practice. He’s embraced the process and knows that as long as he can continue to invest, he can continue to improve. That’s why Active Recovery is such an advantage in what he does. It helps support his goal of continual forward progress.
Routine plays a big role in Derek’s consistency. “I know exactly what I'm gonna do right when I walk into the stadium, almost up to the minute.” There's a lot of prep and work to get the body physically ready to play three-plus hours of professional football. Derek focuses on doing the same routine, so that when the games and moments get bigger, or the stakes are higher, he’s confident, comfortable and ready.
After a game, the routine continues. Derek has a routine of recovery. He invests this time not just in preparation for the next game, but in preparation for the next practice - so he can be even better for the next game. But there’s a lot to overcome. Sometimes Derek wakes up the next morning with parts of his body hurting or swollen that, in the rush of adrenaline, he didn't even know he injured during the game. “The aches and pains of yeah, I got hit in the leg, but now my hip hurts … It doesn't even make sense!” That’s where his OOFOS come in …
Derek first heard about OOFOS from Raiders Head Athletic Trainer, Chris Cortez, and he’s worn them ever since. “If I'm not wearing my cleats and I'm not wearing a shoe to workout in, I'm wearing my OOFOS slides. It has helped me to get my body going faster. It's helped to get back into those ranges of motion - actively getting my ankles and my feet moving how they're supposed to.” Derek knows that OOFOS are such an important aspect of his journey, that he has turned down performance footwear endorsements that would prohibit him from wearing OOFOS as one of his Active Recovery tools.
OOFOS have become the thing that helps Derek feel like he has an edge on his competition – not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. When he steps out of bed and throws them on after a hard game or practice, it gives him that little nudge in a positive direction where can be more present. Then he knows he’s ready to go!
OOFOS has given me an opportunity, to be able to do things on my terms and on my time. To be able to say, "No I'm gonna keep playing." To be able to say to my body like, "No, we're good. We can keep going." It's definitely helped me prolong my career and it's gonna continue to help me play as long as I want to.
OOFOS is proud to welcome Derek Carr as a mOOver and invested member of the OOFOS team! We look forward to supporting your future success on and off the field.
