Derek Carr wasn’t himself last season with the Raiders, and he’s sorry for it.
The veteran quarterback, 32, now has a fresh start with the New Orleans Saints but is still reflecting on how his final year in Las Vegas went.
“They just didn’t get my best and that drove me crazy at the end of the year because I felt so spread out in so many different ways,” Carr said this week at minicamp, according to The Associated Press. “I just didn’t feel like myself and I feel bad for the [Raiders] coaches and players.”
Carr, who had spent all nine years of his NFL career as a Raider, ended on a sour note.
The four-time Pro Bowler posted an 86.3 passer rating –– Carr’s worst since his 2014 rookie season. While Carr passed for 3,544 yards and 24 touchdowns, he also threw 14 interceptions.
The Raiders benched Carr for the final two games of last season before releasing him in February. Carr didn’t have to wait for the start of free agency and quickly inked a four-year, $150 million contract with the Saints in March.
Carr attributes his poor performance to challenges both on and off the field and is determined to grow from the experience, he said.
The quarterback had a close relationship with former coach Jon Gruden, who resigned in October 2021 in the wake of homophobic, racist and misogynistic comments in discovered emails being made public.
Carr had to adjust to a new offense with now head coach Josh McDaniels and seemingly lost his staple star power.
“I’ve tried my best to get back to that. Hopefully, it leads to some success,” Carr said. “It’s going to be a great lesson for me to learn to help some guys down the road when they go through a coaching change or a shift in whatever they’re doing.”
New Orleans controversially brought Gruden into the organization to help Carr learn the entirely new offensive system.
The Saints’ offense hasn’t been the same since Drew Brees’ 2020 retirement, and they’re hoping Carr can be the answer.
“We talked about last year and how he probably didn’t have as good a season as he may have wanted or anticipated,” Saints head coach Dennis Allen said, according to the AP. “All I can say is that when I watch him now, there’s a clear focus on being the best version of himself for this football team.”
Things seem to be going well at the first week of minicamp, John Sigler and Maddy Hudak of SaintsWire reported.
Carr has been forming chemistry with wide receiver Michael Thomas while getting himself ready for what he hopes is a comeback season.