The Raiders were all Derek Carr had ever known.
Carr spent the first nine seasons of his NFL career with the Raiders organization after the team drafted him in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. But after a tumultuous season, in which he largely struggled on the field, as he attempted to learn a new offense under coach Josh McDaniels, Las Vegas elected to go in a different direction.
When the team decided to part ways with the veteran quarterback toward the end of the 2022 season, it was clear that it soured his relationship with the team. It lit a new fire under Carr, who signed with the New Orleans Saints, to be their starting quarterback for at least the next two seasons.
And while Carr’s exit from Las Vegas was filled with some raw emotions and maybe some animosity towards the organization that drafted him, he realizes that his play last season was simply not good enough.
“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 via the Associated Press. “I just didn’t feel like myself and I feel bad for the (Raiders) coaches and players.”
Carr passed for 3,544 yards with 24 touchdowns but also threw 14 interceptions in 2022. Compared to previous seasons, this was a step down in performance, and according to the AP, while Carr isn’t making any excuses, his struggles were because of a mix of personal and professional challenges.
Carr has vowed to not let that happen with the Saints, but that remains to be seen. It will certainly be interesting to see how he performs with his new team.
[AP; photo from Stephen Lew/USA TODAY Sports]
