Every year, several NFL players change teams and have to get used to new surroundings. And even though we see familiar faces in new places all the time, New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr knew it was a little weird to see him in any other uniform than the customary Raiders jersey he was used to.
New Orleans Saints QB Derek Carr Gets Candid About First Game
“When I woke up this morning, everything was new to me,” Carr stated. While it was new to him, Carr had trusted teammates to help guide him into his first game as a Saint, continuing, “I followed Erik McCoy in, and I was like, ‘Bro, I don’t know where to go to park.'”
While the commute and pregame routine was anything but regular for Carr, he knew that once he got on the field, the most important thing was to get locked in and gel with his new teammates to make the move to his new team a seamless one.
“Everything was new. For me to get out there more importantly and play football in the stadium, this time when it wasn’t loud, we can operate and do those kinds of things,” Carr said.
“It was important to me to do that no matter how old I am and how many years I’ve played the NFL. To do it with a new group, all new receivers, and for everyone to be in there and playing, I think is a mark of this team that any chance we can get to go out there and coach (Allen) will let us, we just want to compete and play,” the quarterback continued.
A sense of newness wasn’t only felt by Carr, but the sentiment was shared by his family as well, as they had to adjust to a new environment. “For them putting on black and gold for the first time, it was probably a little weird because when I put that uniform on, and I went in the mirror, I was like… Jake walked up, he’s like, ‘That looks weird.’ “I was like, ‘I know, I’ve been in the same place for nine years,'” Carr stated.
As far as the opportunity to go out and play football with his new team, Carr wasn’t anxious, just excited. “I was very excited. No anxiety. I’ve been doing this like a decade,” Carr said.
“That is when I look in the mirror sometimes and I see the gray hairs; it does feel like a decade, but it does not feel like it goes so fast. But the nerves just, you’re not nervous anymore. You just want to go out there and execute and play at a high level,” he continued.
On the field, Carr looked comfortable. In limited action with his new Saints teammates, he went 6 of 9 for 70 yards passing and one touchdown before turning the offense over to backup Jameis Winston.
Derek Carr’s first drive as a Saint looked pretty smooth 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/lmTOZJq6gg
— 𝙈𝙤𝙤𝙠 ⚜️ (@MookDontMiss) August 14, 2023
Next up for Carr and the Saints is a matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers, a team Carr knows very well. It’s possible his playing time increases in Game 2, and so will his comfort in his new surroundings.