Getty Former Raiders QB Derek Carr.
During Derek Carr’s nine-year tenure as the Las Vegas Raiders‘ starting quarterback, there were frequent questions and rumors about whether or not he’d return. The team finally decided to move on last offseason and there appeared to be some tension between the two sides.
Carr’s now with the New Orleans Saints and has moved on from any negative feelings about the team. He recently had a lot of kind words for owner Mark Davis.
“I’ll tell you this: Mark has been and will always be – he’s been so good to me,” Carr said during the July 16 episode of “Pardon My Take.” “He is like the biggest critic of his football team. But at the same time, nobody loves him more. And so, yeah, sure there’s times where he’s probably super frustrated with me: ‘Why didn’t we do this?’ But he just wants to understand because he didn’t come from that football coaching background.
“And so, he just wants to understand the ‘why.’ And so, as he keeps surrounding himself — think about Tom’s [Brady] there now in the ownership and [Richard] Seymour may join and all of that — as he keeps surrounding himself with football people and all of that and understanding the process and that, I think that they’ll have more success.”
Carr is still the Raiders’ all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns so he’ll be connected to the franchise for a long time.
Derek Carr Looking Forward to Playing Las Vegas for the 1st Time
The only NFL team Carr hasn’t played against is the Raiders. That’s going to change during the 2024 season. The Raiders and Saints face off in New Orleans in Week 17. Carr isn’t nervous about the game and is very much looking forward to it.
“Oh I can’t wait, it’s going to be awesome,” Carr said at the ACC Golf Championship, per a July 11 video from Vegas Sports Today. “It’s going to be so weird seeing all of my friends on the other team.”
Fortunately for Carr, he’ll have the home-field advantage and won’t have to worry about dealing with Raiders fans. Regardless, it should be a highly emotional game for both sides as many of his former teammates still play for Las Vegas.
Could Derek Carr Come Back to Las Vegas Raiders?
Hindsight is 20/20 and the Raiders have to feel a little built of regret for letting Carr go. They replaced him with Jimmy Garoppolo and that turned out to be a disaster as he was released this offseason. Carr had his issues with the Raiders. The team only made the playoffs twice in his nine years and never won a playoff game.
However, the Raiders’ quarterback situation is in the worst position it has been in years. Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew are solid players but not as good as Carr. The former Pro Bowl quarterback had a tough first season in New Orleans and it’s possible the team could want to move on if they miss the playoffs again.
That would open up the door for a potential Raiders reunion for Carr. It’s still highly unlikely but he could be a solid bridge quarterback for the team while they try to develop a young rookie.