The Raiders released the veteran quarterback Derek Carr back in February, but recently, the former Vegas signal caller apologized to Raiders fans about his performance last season, saying “I just didn’t feel like myself, and I feel bad for the (Raiders’) coaches and players.”
The former four-time pro bowler was benched in the last two games in 2022, before ultimately stopping Vegas from trade him before the offseason, using his no-trade clause so he could enter the offseason as a free agent before picking New Orleans as his next destination.
The Raiders replaced the 32-year-old with a 31-year-old, as Vegas inked a deal with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason, barring a complication with his waiver that he signed in place of a physical (due to his foot surgery).
Back in January, despite his abrupt exit from the team, Carr posted his farewell to Raider Nation but also stated that he wanted “tell the whole truth” publicly, but just couldn’t or just wanted to let go of his past to move on to his future team, as he is now with the Saints.
However, this recent apology was issued about his on-field play, stating the fans did not see the best version of him last season. Carr said, “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.”
His 2022 campaign was less than spectacular, as Vegas was third in the division, only winning six games after things were looking up in 2021. The Raiders, the year before this past season, were on the cusp of winning their wildcard berth against the Cincinnati Bengals, winning ten games and placing second in the division after Rich Bisaccia took over as the intern once John Gruden stepped down as the head coach.
Carr had a rocky career as a Raider, as statically some years he was better than average, but it never amount to wins in the postseason. Despite suffering a few injuries in his career, he has only missed around two to four games due to injury. Durability is Carr’s strong suit, but the 32-year-old still had one of his worst seasons this past year in his last 15 games, despite the addition of All-Pro and former college teammate Davante Adams in the offseason prior via trade.
In 2022, Carr posted his second lost completion percentage since his rookie year, with 60.8, and threw fewer yards since his 2017 year, when the Raiders were in Oakland. Only throwing for 3,522 yards in the air, he also threw the most amount of interceptions in a single year as a Raider, with 14. Carr’s passer rating, at 86.3, was also the second lowest in his career since his rookie year.
Along with his performance, Carr’s transition with head coach Josh McDaniels was anything but smooth. Apparently, his offensive scheme somewhat led to his on-field struggles that also involved some private matters off the field.
The former Raiders quarterback signed a four-year, $150 million contract that includes $100 million in total guarantees this past offseason, according to NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.
The new Saints quarterback is optimistic about his new start in New Orleans, stating that his goal is to maintain a “simple” focus on his team and football while getting the best version of himself.
“I’ve tried my best to get back to that. Hopefully, it leads to some success,” Carr said. “It’s going to be a great lesson for me to learn to help some guys down the road when they go through a coaching change or a shift in whatever they’re doing.”
After nine years with the team that drafted him in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Fresno State, Carr moves on as the starter of the Saints for this coming season.
