The Oakland Raiders made some major moves in the offseason in free agency and seem to be ready to take the next step in 2015. However, taking the Raiders to the next level hinges on one man — Derek Carr.

The last time the Raiders had a winning season was in 2002 when Rich Gannon was quarterback. The past 12 years have been unbearable to watch for the fans of Oakland because they haven’t even had a glimmer of hope. However, this horrible nightmare came to an end last season with the emergence of Carr. Yes, they did have another losing season, but they finally showed some promise for the future. It seems as though the Raiders found their diamond in the rough.

The Rookie, Carr, posted head-turning numbers this past season. He threw for 3,270 yards, with 21 touchdowns, and only 12 interceptions. What’s more impressive is that he obtained these numbers with the Raiders. It is extremely hard to believe that a rookie could come in and get those type of numbers for this team, but Carr found a way.

Carr has dealt with a little hiccup with a hand injury this offseason, but seems to be recovering just fine. He started throwing some passes in the OTAs, showing some steady progress so he should be fully healthy by the time training camp starts.

The Raiders made some key additions this offseason in free agency and the draft, especially in Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. This duo is a substantial upgrade at the wide receiver position. Cooper has the potential to be breakout star this coming season with his abilities. Crabtree has some work to do to address all the criticism that he’s been getting. Hopefully, this will motivate him to prove himself. In doing so, he will end up establishing himself as a solid second option for Carr. It is hard to see Carr having anything near a sophomore slump with these weapons. Clearly, this season has the makings of a breakout year for both the Raiders and Carr.

The AFC west is a tough division. The Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, and San Diego Chargers are all playoff caliber teams. It will be tough for the Raiders to contend for the division title, but with the development of Carr they will make significant strides towards that goal. These teams should expect every game with the Raiders to be a strong, competitive, hard-fought game. They might have just found the man who will dig the franchise out of the black hole they have been trapped in for over a decade.