Derek Carr is more than ready for his journey with the New Orleans Saints.
He’s leaving a long, turbulent road behind him with the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders. A chapter of his life that veteran, and former Saints quarterback, Drew Brees, said Carr didn’t deserve.
“I think he caught the brunt of that unfairly, and I think you shoulder a lot of that burden as the quarterback anyway,” Brees said, per Luke Johnson, The Advocate.
“I think highly of him as a person,” Brees continued. “He’s shown the ability to execute complicated offenses where a lot is put on the quarterback position to be able to make checks and make reads very quickly. He’s proven that.”
Carr had the responsibility of picking up a Josh McDaniel’s offense that had wide receiver Davante Adams comparing it to learning Mandarin.
McDaniels was a good teacher, however, and concentrated on the passing game. He wasn’t a fan of having his quarterback run the ball so much.
Carr holds just about every passing record in Raiders history after spending a decade with the team. He earned four Pro Bowl selections in the process and lifted the team to the playoffs in 2021.
Still, he was the subject of scrutiny from the fanbase — a mixture of emotions. That could be the result of the up-and-down ways the team was presented.
Carr’s start with the Saints, after signing a four-year, $150 million contract, fills a void the team’s been lacking with its offense. He’s also starting with more of a fire inside of him. He looks forward to working with the likes of Cam Jordan, Tyrann Mathieu and Alvin Kamara.
“We’ve seen just what a difference one position can make on a team,” Brees said. “Look at what [Tom] Brady did for the Bucs. Obviously, they brought in a lot of great players along with him, but that can change the complexion of things very quickly.”
