Derek Carr of the Saints vents about the Raiders split: “Once they made my wife Carr stated that the events in Vegas “definitely lit a fire inside me.”
Carr stated that the events in Vegas “definitely lit a fire inside me.”
With two games left in the regular season and a shot at the playoffs, the Las Vegas Raiders decided to part ways with quarterback Derek Carr last year. His contract and the accompanying injury guarantees had a role in the decision, but it wasn’t the only one.
Carr finished 6-9 in 2022 as the starting quarterback. He threw 14 interceptions, tying a career high, and had the second-worst completion percentage (60.8%) and passer rating (86.3) of his career.
Carr had success with the New Orleans Saints, but he recently expressed his displeasure with the way his tenure with the Raiders ended.
Carr told the Fresno Bee, “I was, for lack of a better word, I was very upset; I was mad.” “I would have said I don’t even want the money, just to play two more times in front of our supporters. You spend nine years at 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 money related or whatever, injury related. I was not given that chance. It thus kindled a fire within of me to press on.”
If the Raiders had decided they wanted to keep Carr going forward and had changed their minds, would Carr have let bygones be bygones? He declined, stating that his wife was crying over the entire thing.
“Once they made my wife cry, that was pretty much over,” Carr stated. “They had to stop after they made her weep. But I think what would have driven me to do it was my love for my comrades. However, given how things transpired and when they did, I was just ready to go on. Who knows, though? You can never predict what might occur.”
Despite the difficult circumstances he faced, Carr believes he still wants the Raiders to win. Carr settled in as a Raiders mainstay. Over the course of nine seasons, he rose to become the franchise’s all-time leader in passing yards (35,222), passing touchdowns (217), and victories (63). Success remained elusive even though he had the most upset victories (33), game-winning drives (33), and fourth-quarter QB comebacks (28) of any quarterback in the nine NFL seasons since 1970. Since taking over as the starting quarterback, Carr has had to contend with five different play callers, six different head coaches, and the league’s lowest scoring defense.
“If you win more games and you keep being productive, you stay there forever,” Carr stated. “However, we didn’t win enough games, and that’s the kind of thing that occurs with all the different variables and the constant movement of coaches. The last man standing will almost always leave the room at some time. And that’s precisely what took place.
“I’ve made it through around 20 coaches, so that’s just the way things work out.
However, I’m glad to be in a place where we have a dependable organization that has been around for a while. I hope the Raiders find something worthwhile there as well, where they can maintain that dependable environment for the upcoming players, since I am aware of how crucial it is.
Moreover, I cherish my former comrades. But for now, I’m just happy to be a part of the Saints organization since they have a lengthy history of high-level success.”
