**

ALAMEDA, Calif.** – Oakland Raiders QB Derek Carr was named to his first Pro Bowl, the NFL announced Wednesday. Carr, who was selected as an alternate for the Pro Bowl, replaces Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, who is unable to participate due to injury.

"First, I want to thank God for the opportunity to be able to go to Hawaii," said Carr. "Secondly, I want to thank my family, my friends, my teammates, my coaches and all of Raider Nation for their support. Third, I want to thank everyone who voted for me and all of the opposing players and coaches that voted for me. That means more to me than they know. Go Raiders!"

Carr's teammates S Charles Woodson, FB Marcel Reece and DE Khalil Mack were also selected to the NFL's all-star game, to be played at Honolulu's Aloha Stadium on Jan. 31. In December, RB Latavius Murray and rookie WR Amari Cooper were also named alternates for the Pro Bowl.  

One of the NFL's most dynamic young passers, Carr becomes the first Raiders quarterback to be named to the Pro Bowl since Rich Gannon in 2002 after starting all 16 games. He threw for 3,987 yards on 350-of-573 passing (61.1 percent) with 32 touchdowns and 13 interceptions for a passer rating of 91.1. He also added career-high rushing totals with 33 attempts for 138 yards (4.2 avg.).

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound signal caller finished his sophomore campaign tied for seventh in the NFL in passing touchdowns and 300-yard passing performances with six. Carr also recorded four fourth-quarter comeback drives, five games with a rating of at least 100.0 (5-0 record) and 11 multi-touchdown games, tied for third in the NFL.

Carr was named the Castrol Edge Clutch Performer of the Week twice in 2015 after leading the Raiders on fourth-quarter scoring drives to secure comeback victories. In Week 2 against Baltimore, he threw for a career-high 351 yards and three scores, including the game-winning touchdown pass with 26 seconds remaining. Carr again led a fourth-quarter comeback drive and threw a touchdown pass with 1:21 remaining to defeat the Tennessee Titans on the road in Week 12. Carr tied a single-game high by throwing four touchdowns in back-to-back games in Weeks 8 and 9, against the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively. 

The native of Bakersfield, Calif., joined the Raiders in 2014 as the team's second-round selection (36th overall) in the NFL Draft. He has started all 32 games over his first two NFL seasons, becoming the first offensive player to do so in Raiders franchise history. Carr is the owner of 53 career touchdown passes, the second most ever by a player through his first two NFL seasons.