After nine years with the Raiders, Derek Carr went through his first season on a different team with the Saints in 2023.
The club finished 9-8, winning four of its last five games to challenge for a postseason berth.
Carr started all 17 games, completing 68 percent of his passes for 3,878 yards with 25 touchdowns with eight interceptions. But while Carr was available for every game, it wasn’t necessarily easy for him to get through those contests, as G.M. Mickey Loomis noted in a recent interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio.
“Look, one thing that’s been understated — it’s on purpose — is Derek had a pretty tough year last year, physically,” Loomis said. “He got rocked pretty good in the Green Bay game and it took a number of games for him to get feeling like himself. And, look, he played through it. He’s as tough as they come. But it affected him, particularly in the middle part of our season.
“I thought he played really well toward the end. He got comfortable with the receivers and the skill position guys we have. And we’ve got to do a better job of protecting him as well.”
Loomis added that like anyone would be, Carr appears more comfortable as he enters his second year in the building. Though the Saints brought in a new offensive coordinator in Klint Kubiak, the Saints have plenty of continuity for Carr to fall back on.
“[T]he surroundings are more familiar, the coaches are more familiar, the environment that we have in our building is familiar,” Loomis said. “So, I think the arrow is up and we’re excited about what Derek brings to the table. And I know he’s excited.
“Look, it’s hard to take that leadership role when you first come into a building — no matter how good you are, no matter what position you have. So now a year in, he’s going to feel more comfortable about the leadership that you need from the quarterback and we’re expecting great things.”
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