Derek Carr Says He Moved on from Raiders 'Once They Made My Wife Cry' After Benching | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

Six months after being unceremoniously benched to end his Las Vegas Raiders tenure, Derek Carr is unloading on his former team.

Carr, who signed with the New Orleans Saints this offseason, ripped into the Raiders for not allowing him to end his nine-year tenure with the organization on his terms.

"I was, for lack of a better term, I was very upset; I was mad," Carr said, per Anthony Galaviz of the Fresno Bee. "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."

The Raiders sat Carr for the final two games of the 2022 regular season in what largely amounted to a financial decision. Las Vegas would have been on the hook for Carr's salary if he suffered an injury in the final two games, a result the front office preferred to avoid as the coaching staff—led by Josh McDaniels—sought their preferred option under center.

Las Vegas briefly explored trading Carr before the quarterback said he would not accept any trade and forced his way into free agency. He said he would not have wanted to return to the Raiders even if the team had a change of heart.

"Once they made my wife cry, that was pretty much over," Carr 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."

The Raiders replaced Carr with Jimmy Garoppolo, who has a pre-existing relationship with McDaniels dating back to their time in New England. Interestingly enough, Garoppolo is dealing with his own injury uncertainty after suffering a foot injury during the 2022 season.

Carr, meanwhile, seems very happy to be in a situation where he's wanted in New Orleans.