Derek Carr’s tenure with the Las Vegas Raiders didn’t end on a positive note as he was effectively pushed out by former head coach Josh McDaniels. McDaniel benched Carr down the stretch of the 2022 season, eventually forcing the quarterback to ask for his release from the franchise.
Carr landed with the New Orleans Saints, signing a four-year deal, but was only able to play two incomplete seasons due to injury. Carr wound up retiring early from the league, a shocking decision, though perhaps the right one for the quarterback.
Although Carr wasn’t the perfect player, he earned the love and respect of the Silver and Black fan base by leading the team through some of its worst years in franchise history. Carr was one of the few bright spots on the roster and gave fans something to cheer about when owner Mark Davis decided to move the team to Las Vegas.
On his YouTube channel Home Grown NetWork, Carr recounted the toughest arenas to play in and shouted out the Oakland Coliseum as the most difficult venue, as transcribed by Ethan Inman of Heavy.com:
“You played on literally cement half the year, and the crowd was the best crowd in all of the world,” Carr said. “And it was the Oakland Coliseum.”
The Oakland years were some of the team’s worst regular seasons, but Carr noted how the crowd environment would help them get over the hump:
“We would even have some of our struggling years, good teams would come in, and we’d beat ’em. And it was because of the atmosphere in the Coliseum and the fans right there in Oakland.”
The Raiders fan base has a reputation around the league for traveling well, though there was nothing like the atmosphere at the Coliseum, where fans traveled in droves to cheer for the team. Win or lose, the Silver and Black faithful always made it a point to be loud in the Coliseum, although now they must do it at their new home in Allegiant Stadium.
It’s hard to believe how long it’s already been since the franchise left the Bay Area, but players like Carr certainly remember what it was like to play in Oakland.
Derek Carr shares kind words about Mark Davis
Derek Carr had every reason to be upset with the Raiders for how they treated him on his way out, but the former quarterback still had positive things to say about owner Mark Davis.
