Breakups are never easy, and a quarterback leaving his team after 9 years certainly qualifies.
New Saints quarterback Derek Carr opened on how his departure from the Raiders went, which included his being benched the final two games before leaving in free agency.
"For lack of a better term, I was very upset," Carr said in an interview with the Fresno Bee. "I was mad."
Carr was speaking at a DC4Kids event in Fresno, where he starred in college at Fresno State. His departure from the Raiders was well documented, having started at quarterback for the franchise since he was drafted -- under then-head coach Dennis Allen -- with the franchise still in Oakland. He enjoyed some of his best success at QB under Jon Gruden, but struggled in the first year under head coach Josh McDaniels.
The QB has admitted his performance wasn't up to par in his final season in Las Vegas, saying the team "didn't get my best." However the benching was less about performance and more about protecting assets. Carr wasn't guaranteed any money beyond the 2023 season, and if he suffered an injury in the final two games they could've been on the hook for that salary. The Raiders were also hoping to get something in return for Carr via trade, something that Carr vetoed before singing with the Saints in free agency.
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"You spend nine years in a place, you have all the records, you can play at a high level and for something to get in the way whether it was for whatever reason. ... I would’ve said I don’t even want the money just to play two more times in front of our fans, and I didn’t get that opportunity," Carr said. "So it definitely lit a fire inside me to keep going.”
Carr was asked if after all that he'd have considered returning to the Raiders had they ultimately wanted him back, which drew his most eye-opening response of the interview.
“Once they made my wife cry, that was pretty much over. Once they made her cry, that was out," Carr told The Bee. "But the love for my teammates is what probably would’ve made me do it. But the way it worked out and the timing of things, it was time for me to move on. But who knows, you never know what’ll happen.”
The new Saints QB has repeatedly lauded the atmosphere, culture and chemistry he's joining in New Orleans, and the team is hoping that fire he spoke of can bring the team back to the playoffs after two years of near misses. Thus far Carr has participated in three sets of OTAs and a minicamp, and has also gotten in work off to the side with Michael Thomas.
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Things will ramp up significantly when the team reports for the full training camp in late July, the dates for which have not yet been officially announced."
"It’s one of the more competitive OTAs, minicamps I’ve ever been a part of," Carr told The Bee. "We have so many veterans that are really trying to prove it every day and trying to beat each other every day, talking trash. It was so competitive and so fun to be a part of.”
For the full report from the Fresno Bee, click here.