Derek Carr’s tenure with the Las Vegas Raiders came to an end long before he signed with the New Orleans Saints. It ended when the team opted to bench Carr for the final two games of the season to see what they had in rookie quarterback Jarrett Stidham.
The Raiders eventually cutting Carr and his signing with the Saints was simply the formality to a decision that had been made prior. And for Carr, it was one of the first moments in which he truly had frustration with the Raiders organization, at least publicly.
He spoke about the situation and how being benched after nine seasons as the Raiders’ starting quarterback made him and his family feel, according to Anthony Galaviz of The Fresno Bee:
“I was, for lack of a better term, I was very upset; I was mad,” he said. “You spend nine years in 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 whatever reason, money related or whatever, injury related, I would have said I don’t even want the money, just to play two more times in front of our fans. I didn’t get that opportunity. So it definitely lit a fire inside me to keep going.”
Of course, if certain variables are right, no relationship in the NFL is truly beyond repair. However, for Carr, it became personal. He recalls a moment when he knew there was no chance he would re-sign in Las Vegas.
“Once they made my wife cry, that was pretty much over,” he said. “Once they made her cry, that was out. But the love for my teammates is what probably would have made me do it. But the way it worked out and the timing of things, I was just … it was time for me to move on. But who knows? You never know what will happen.”
Carr has often been praised for his loyalty and team-first mentality. He was the face of the Raiders for nearly a decade, and his play style and mentality often matched what the team wanted each and every year.
For his tenure to end in what could be described as an ugly way is certainly a shock. It remains to be seen what type of effect this could have on the Raiders moving forward or if Carr’s words could sway other free agents away from Las Vegas in the next few seasons.
Darren Waller calls trade to Giants not ‘too shocking’
The Raiders were looking forward to a dynamic pass-catching corps headlined by Davante Adams and Waller, though the two never got much of a chance to hit the ground running. Waller appeared in nine games for Las Vegas, starting six of them though he only managed 28 receptions and three touchdowns.
Despite the lackluster season, most were still surprised when the Raiders decided to ship Waller out to the New York Giants in exchange for a third-round pick. While some didn’t expect the move, the tight end revealed he wasn’t caught off guard via Adam Hill of Las Vegas Review-Journal:
“Not totally shocked,” Waller said on the red carpet of his foundation’s event at Aria on Thursday night of his immediate reaction when he learned of the move. “I had heard some things. There were different moments throughout the year that I heard I may be traded or I may not. So the actual event of it wasn’t too shocking.
“But I didn’t expect it to be the Giants.”
