Derek Carr had his biggest supporters on the sidelines Sunday when he made his preseason debut for the Saints.
The 32-year-old quarterback enjoyed a sweet moment with wife Heather and their four children, all of whom were clad in Saints gear, prior to kickoff against the Chiefs at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
Captioning her Instagram post, “Who Dat,” Heather smiled beside Carr before he took the field.
In his first preseason outing as New Orleans’ quarterback, Carr — who signed a four-year contract worth $150 million in March after nine seasons with the Raiders — completed six of eight pass attempts for 70 yards and a touchdown.
“I just feel refreshed. I feel rejuvenated. And to put that uniform on and come out and be a Saint, it felt really good,” Carr said Sunday.
The Saints edged out the Chiefs, 26-24, thanks in part to rookie kicker Blake Grupe, who nailed a 31-yard field goal attempt as time expired.
“Love being on this side of things in the Dome. I can get used to this place, it’s a lot of fun,” Carr said postgame.
It’s been an offseason filled with change for Carr, who was released by the Raiders in February after nearly a decade with the team.
The former Fresno State product, who was selected 36th overall by the Raiders in 2014, was benched by the team for the final two games of the 2022 season before his release.
“I was, for lack of a better term, I was very upset; I was mad,” Carr told The Fresno Bee in a June interview.
“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 also ruled out any possibility of a Raiders reunion following one crucial 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.”
Carr married Heather in 2012.
The Saints host the Titans in their season opener Sunday, Sept. 10.
