NEW ORLEANS, La. — Saint New Orleans midfielder Derek Carr ready to reinvent himself.
The Saints introduced Carr in a 45-minute press conference on Saturday. Carr sat next to Saints coach Dennis Allen, with his family and Saints main office present. He talked about his nine-year tenure with Las Vegas raidhow the Saints convinced him to join their team and what’s next.
The next thing could include throwing a pass to a wide receiver Michael Thomas.
Thomas and the Saints look set to part ways after they restructured his deal in January. But Carr, who talked a lot with Thomas throughout the free agent process, spoke as if he was looking forward to being teammates with the 2019 Attacker of the Year.
Carr said he and Thomas became close by talking on the phone. He even told Saints general manager Mickey Loomis after one of those conversations that he felt like the pair could “go out there and face the world.”
He added: “When he started recruiting and talking to me, he didn’t even try to recruit me, he just said, ‘When do we start working? We’re wasting money. time, time is passing.’ I said, “Man, me too. We’ll get there.” But I think our relationship has grown along the way and I look forward to being able to make it even stronger.”
Carr will also play with the Saints closely Juwan Johnsona restricted free agent who has scored seven touchdowns for the Saints in 2022. The team announced on Saturday that they have signed a new two-year contract with him.
But breaking up with the Raiders was not an easy process for Carr.
“It’s hard because I love so many people there. At the same time, it’s a breath of fresh air,” he said.
Carr admits he has a heavy burden on his shoulders after it’s all over, with his departure from the Raiders in the final two games of the season due to an inevitable split.
He says that finish ignited his competitive edge. He will not promise to become former Saints quarterback Drew Brees, one of the former players, along with Peyton and Archie Manning, who have been contacted to guide him in the decision-making process.
Carr didn’t promise victory either, but promised that he would give it all he had.
“I just had to come and show my work ethic, and really prove it again. … I had no plans or dreams that it would end that way. That’s for sure. sure,” he said. “I understand the business side of it and why things are happening, all of that. I mean, I get it. But it hurts. For me as a competitor, I want to get to the finish line with my teammates. … It lit a fire in me, which I always have, but it just makes it hot. It gives me this excitement. “
He also thanked Raid for choosing him in the second round of the 2014 draft.
“I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t say thank you to them,” Carr said. “I’ve had nine great years there, so many great memories, so many hard times, so many good times, so many children since those days. And Mr. Davis and the Raiders, If they see this, I have to say something to them because I wouldn’t be there without him.”
Carr made it clear he was ready to move forward after a nearly month-long free agency process following his release from the Raiders on February 14. Allen joked that Carr made the decision on the field faster than the field.
“It took him so long in the process. But obviously we’re glad we got him,” Allen said with a laugh.
The New York Jets was one of the other groups involved in this process, and Carolina Newspaperwho made the trade on Friday to secure the #1 pick in the 2023 draft, is someone else.
But the Saints were ready to enter the competition due to Carr’s longstanding relationship with Allen, who was training the Raiders when they brought Carr into the draft. Allen started Carr as a rookie.
Although Allen was sent off four games that season, the two have maintained a relationship since those days.
“DA, how do I feel about this man, hopefully I’m sitting here telling you my thoughts on him and the opportunity,” Carr said Saturday. “You guys gave me the first chance, every time we play against you since we’re not on the same team, I’ll always say thank you. Even during the pre-match press conference fight that [last fall], I will say that I am always grateful to DA because he gave me the opportunity. He entrusted me with the keys to an organization, to be a quarterback there for nine years. … We’re just getting started and that’s all in the past.”
Allen and the Saints will not accept no as an answer. He said that The Saints were the first team to approach Carr shortly after the Raiders let him look for a potential deal and they were by far the most persistent team.
Carr said his phone “explodes” daily with constant texts and calls from the Saints, who were determined to choose him as their quarterback.
“I don’t think it’s just a veteran midfielder,” Allen said. I think that’s a veteran midfielder that we want. “I didn’t know there was this, well, we have to go out and find any veteran midfielders. We want to find the midfielders we want. Like I said before, we’re clearly defined. that Derek is our No. 1 target. And we [went] Go out and catch him.”
Carr added: “There was never a doubt from [their side]. … They made it very clear how they felt. They were honest. They tell us the truth about the organization and they don’t try to make anything seem like it isn’t, and I think that’s what matters most. It was just honesty from the start. And there were other teams that said certain things and said the same things and all that. But at the end of the day, they, they’re the first, they try trading, all this and you, to start to consider that, to feel like that, again, it’s great, when someone that see the value that you can bring to their organization, to their city, to their locker room.”
The Saints were the only team to meet Carr while he was still a member of the Raiders, hosting him and his wife for two days in New Orleans in early February. A final transaction did not happen after Carr, who had a prohibition clause in his agreement with the Raiders, vetoed it.
But one transaction has actually ended, Carr said.
“I’d be happy to accept a deal,” he said. “But I can only speak to one team. I am only allowed to speak to one team. I love and respect those people, how much Dave and Josh are at the Raiders, how do I make decisions. when it was the only time in my career where i was, or could be, free? I feel so in love with this place Like, I still almost made it.
“But in the end, I just feel like I know that as I sit here, I want to be able to look my kids in the eye, look my wife in the eye and know that I’ve done everything in my power,” I asked. every question, I go through every process to make sure I’ve tried to make the best decision for my family, for us together. shock to some. But I’m not stuck, I’m ready to work, but I can only talk to the Saints. But it worked out.”
Finally, Carr signed a four-year contract on Saturday. Sources told ESPN that the contract is potentially worth up to $150 million and includes a guarantee of up to $100 million. The deal likely won’t become official until the start of free agency next week, as the Saints still have a lot of work to do to comply with the salary cap for 2023. They also have a decision to make. for the former starting midfielder James Winstonwho can become a free agent by signing a contract with Carr.
The deal gives Carr a full circle in his reunion with Allen.
“I think that’s how we got off the phone when Derek called me on Sunday night and said he wanted to come here and be a quarterback,” Allen said. “When we turned the phone off, it was like, ‘Hey, it’s time we finish what we started.’ So I think it’s a great deal.”
