Getty Derek Carr with Maxx Crosby.
After nine seasons as the starting quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders, Derek Carr joined the New Orleans Saints last season. He’s not going to have to wait long for a revenge game.
The Raiders and Saints are slated to matchup this season, which will be the first time Carr ever plays against his former team. While there are likely many things he’s excited about, Carr revealed in a recent Instagram story that what he’s most excited about involves defensive end Maxx Crosby.
“I am looking forward to it,” Carr said on April 5. “I cannot wait. And, hopefully, I’m going to try to start a fight with [Crosby] and punch him and then have the ref only see him throw his punch back.”
The 6-foot-5, 256-pound Crosby isn’t the best player to pick a fight with but Carr is clearly joking around. The two played together for four seasons on the Raiders and formed a close friendship over the years. Crosby is now one of the best pass rushers in the NFL and will likely be eager to perform well against his former teammate. The matchup between the Saints and the Raiders in 2024 should be one of the most interesting of the year.
Derek Carr is looking forward to play against the Raiders this season:
“I cannot wait…I’m going to start a fight with (Maxx Crosby), and punch him, and then have the referee only see him throw his punch back.”
Wait a minute 😂
🎥: (Via Derek Carr)
Las Vegas Raiders QB Situation a Year Later
It’s now been over a year since Derek Carr was released by the Raiders. He’s still the team’s all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns and will be for a long time. The team had started to grow stagnant with Carr. In nine seasons, the team went to the playoffs twice and didn’t win a game either time.
That said, Carr had to deal with several head coaching and offensive coordinator changes throughout his tenure with the Raiders so he didn’t have much stability. In hindsight, the team didn’t have a good plan to replace Carr.
Jimmy Garoppolo was signed last offseason but only lasted six starts before getting benched and was recently released. The Raiders never groomed a replacement and now they’re working to find another quarterback in the draft this year. If the team can find the right quarterback, then the decision to move on from Carr was the right one. If not, they may start to regret not sticking with the former Pro Bowler.
Is Michael Penix Jr. Going to Be a Las Vegas Raider?
With the Raiders not picking until No. 13 in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, they aren’t in a position to land one of the top-four quarterback prospects unless they trade up. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t find a talented quarterback at all.
Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. could be the fifth quarterback off the board but it remains to be seen if he’ll be picked in the first or second round. The Raiders are one of the teams being heavily linked to Penix and he should be available to them at some point. He’s got the arm talent and athleticism to be a franchise quarterback but also has an extensive injury history and will already be 24 when the season starts. There’s a reason he’s not expected to be a top-10 pick but could be worth the gamble later in the first round or early in the second round.