Saints’ Derek Carr energized after Raiders’ exit: ‘It lit a fire in me’

New Orleans Saints backmost Derek Carr feels he’s going to person a resurgence with his caller team.

In a quality league connected Saturday, Carr talked astir his nine seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders and however helium was convinced to articulation the Saints, with who helium precocious inked a four-year, $150 cardinal contract.

Carr is successful the mediate of vocation crossroads aft failing to marque the playoffs for a fig of seasons with Las Vegas, the squad that drafted him and who helium aboriginal had a falling retired with this past off-season

The 31-year-old volition person the accidental astatine a caller commencement aft making his 4th Pro Bowl this year.

“I conscionable get to travel successful and amusement my enactment ethic, and truly beryllium it again. … I didn’t program connected oregon imagination of it finishing that way. That’s for sure,” helium said connected Saturday successful the property conference. “I understood the concern broadside of it and wherefore things were happening, each that. I mean, I get it. But it hurt. 

Carr feels that his exit from the Raiders lit a “fire” successful him.Sean Gardner/Getty Images

For maine arsenic a competitor, I wanted to decorativeness with my teammates. … It lit a occurrence successful me, that I’ve ever had, but it conscionable made it hot. It gave maine this excitement.”

Carr faced declaration purgatory aft the Raiders planned connected dealing him disconnected successful a trade.

The Saints met with Carr successful February, portion helium was inactive a subordinate of the Raiders, and hosted him and his woman for 2 days successful New Orleans, according to ESPN.

Carr was aboriginal released and signed with the Saints aft fielding different imaginable destinations similar the Jets and the Panthers, who precocious traded up for the No. 1 wide pick.

Carr volition person plentifulness of violative weapons astatine his disposal successful New Orleans, specified arsenic receiver Michael Thomas, who won the 2019 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and choky extremity Juwan Johnson, who posted 7 touchdowns for the Saints past season.

Thomas, successful particular, was instrumental successful wooing Carr implicit to New Orleans.

“He wasn’t adjacent trying to enlistee me, helium was conscionable like, ‘When are we getting to work? We’re wasting time, clip is ticking,’” Carr said astir his conversations with Thomas. “I was like, ‘Dude, I’m the aforesaid way. We’ll get there.’”

Carr played for the Raiders for the archetypal 9 seasons of his career.Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Saints caput manager Dennis Allen, who antecedently coached Carr connected the Raiders, besides spoke glowingly astir reuniting with the four-time Pro Bowler, saying the seasoned signal-caller “wanted to travel here.”

“I don’t deliberation it’s conscionable a seasoned quarterback. I deliberation it’s the seasoned backmost we wanted,” Allen said. “I don’t cognize that determination was this thing, well, we got to spell retired and find immoderate seasoned quarterback. We wanted to find the backmost that we wanted. Like I said before, we intelligibly identified that Derek was our No. 1 target. And we [went] retired and got him.”