Getty Image / Mark Alberti
The 2022 NFL season was a tough one for Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders.
The team was coming off of a surprising playoff appearance in 2021 and had high hopes for a return to the postseason.
They brought in Josh McDaniels as their offensive coordinator, made a massive trade for Davante Adams, and signed Chandler Jones during the offseason leading up to last season.
Unfortunately, it didn’t produce results.
Derek Carr struggled despite having the best receiver of his career to throw to and the team struggled to a 6-11 record.
At the end of the season, the Raiders even benched Carr for Jarrett Stidham and eventually ended up releasing him.
Now he’s a member of the New Orleans Saints and looking to get back to the form he was in when the Raiders made it to the playoffs.
Before he gets started trying to succeed with the Saints, Carr looked back on his struggles last year.
Carr told the Associated Press’ Brett Martel that he felt like the Saints didn’t get his best effort last season.
“They just didn’t get my best and that drove me crazy at the end of the year because I felt so spread out in so many different ways,” Carr told Martel. “I just didn’t feel like myself and I feel bad for the [Raiders] coaches and players.”
Carr added that the reason they didn’t get his best effort was a combination of personal and professional challenges, including the lingering effects of Jon Gruden’s sudden departure in 2021.
In New Orleans, Carr will have some strong weapons around him as he tries to get his career back on track.
He’ll get to throw to rising star Chris Olave and will hopefully have a healthy Michael Thomas.
It’s a fresh start for Derek Carr where he will have nothing stopping him from giving his best effort and he’ll be hoping he can make it back to the playoffs in 2023.