Derek Carr knew the moment the Raiders went too far.
The quarterback recently admitted he was “very upset” and “mad” about how his nine-year Raiders career ended, in which he was benched for the final two games of the 2022 season ahead of his February release.
“I was, for lack of a better term, I was very upset; I was mad,” the new Saints quarterback, 32, told The Fresno Bee. “You spend nine years in a place, you have all the records and you can play at a high level and for something to get in the way, whether it was whatever reason, money related or whatever, injury related, I would have said I don’t even want the money, just to play two more times in front of our fans. I didn’t get that opportunity. So it definitely lit a fire inside me to keep going.”
Carr, the Raiders’ second-round pick back in 2014, had been a stable presence in an organization that underwent a bevy of coaching changes throughout his nine-year tenure.
Despite his longevity with the franchise, not to mention leading the team in passing yards (35,222), the Raiders released Carr following a disappointing 6-11 campaign.
The Raiders went 6-9 when Carr started at quarterback this past year, his sixth losing season overall.
“If you win more games and you keep being productive, you stay there forever,” Carr said. “But we didn’t win enough games and that’s the kind of stuff that happens with all the turnover of coaches; with all the different things. Eventually, the last guy in the room is usually going to be out at some point. And that’s really what happened.”
Backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham replaced Carr for the final two games of the season, resulting in losses to the 49ers and Chiefs.
Carr went on to sign a four-year, $150 million deal with the Saints.
Any chance of a possible Raiders reunion was essentially ruled out following a pivotal moment.
“Once they made my wife cry, that was pretty much over,” said Carr, when asked if he would have returned to the organization if they “had a change of heart.”
“Once they made her cry, that was out.”
With Carr now embracing his next chapter in New Orleans, he’s already impressing his new teammates, both with his athletic prowess and leadership abilities.
“He’s a great leader on and off the field — that’s what you ask for as a receiver, a young receiver,” Saints wide receiver Chris Olave said on “The Jim Rome Show.”
“So, he’s definitely helped me better my game and get better myself. We all know what he can do on the field. But just him being there for me off the field, even on the field, I feel like that’s helped me a lot and it’s helping us build our chemistry.”
Carr will make his regular-season debut for the Saints on Sunday, Sept. 10, against the Titans.
