NEW ORLEANS — The Saints introduced their new quarterback Derek Carr to the media on Saturday.
Carr, who has played with the Raiders since 2014 but was benched during the 2022 season and released in the offseason, signed a 4-year, $150 million contract with the Saints last Monday.
The four-time Pro Bowl QB expressed how his new home has lit a fire in him, according to our partners at NOLA.com.
“I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t have a chip on my shoulder with how everything finished,” Carr said Saturday. “I didn’t plan on or dream of it finishing that way. That’s for sure. I was told why, and I understood the business side of why certain things were happening. I get it. But for me, as a competitor, I wanted to finish with my teammates."
While the Raiders initially discussed a trade with the Saints, Carr vetoed it so he could explore options via free agency. But the Saints being interested helped Carr narrow down his options.
“You’re showing me value without even showing me value, right?” Carr said. “You’re valuing me as a quarterback, me as a human without even having to say anything. And that meant something. Not just something, that meant a lot.”
Dennis Allen spoke about his previous experiences with Carr (Allen was the first head coach Carr had in the NFL) and why he was so appealing as an option.
“I do want to make sure that everybody knows that Derek is a much quicker decision-maker on the field than he is off the field,” Allen said. “He took way too long with the process. But we’re obviously happy that we have him.
“I was fortunate enough to be with the Raiders when we drafted him in the second round (of 2014) and have always admired the type of person that he is as well as the type of player that he is. And so, it’s been outstanding just to watch him grow both as an individual and as a player.”
Carr promised that he would give 110% at all times in New Orleans, even if he's not flawless.
“I’m going to be very imperfect, but I promise you perfect effort,” Carr said. “That’s what I can do. The film study, the work ethic, the city of New Orleans — just like Las Vegas, just like Oakland — is going to get literally everything that I have.”