Raiders fans may not be too happy to hear this eye-opening Arrowhead Stadium admission from Derek Carr.
After spending the first nine seasons of his career with the Las Vegas/Oakland Raiders, Derek Carr ended up signing with the New Orleans Saints last offseason in free agency. And now that he's with the Saints, he revealed that he was comfortable making a pretty eye-opening admission about the Kansas City Chiefs and Arrowhead Stadium that he wasn't comfortable saying out loud during his time with the Raiders.
The Raiders and Chiefs and division rivals in the AFC West, so they obviously aren't too fond of each other. Playing in Arrowhead Stadium, which is the Chiefs stadium, is considered one of the toughest places for opposing players and teams to play at. Carr, however, recently revealed that he actually enjoys the environment at Arrowhead Stadium, even going as far as to label it one of his favorite places in the league to play.
Raiders fans look away, Derek Carr admits Arrowhead is one of his favorite places to play.@derekcarrqb | @JOEL9ONE pic.twitter.com/FPM5K031AQ
— Green Light with Chris Long (@greenlight) June 2, 2024
Derek Carr hoping for better 2024 campaign with Saints
This probably isn't something Raiders fans really want to hear, as Carr seems to be OK crossing into enemy territory with these comments. It could also be seen as a positive, though, in the sense that he doesn't really seem to mind playing in a stadium that typically finds a way to knock even the best players off of their game.
It's great that Carr is able to share this unique stance with fans now, but truth be told, Saints fans likely don't really care about what he's saying here. Unless it has anything to do with finding a way to improve upon the 2023 campaign, which was a relatively disappointing one for New Orleans, the fans aren't going to want to hear it.
Carr held his own under center for the Saints in 2023 (375/548, 3878 YDS, 25 TD, 8 INT), but the offense struggled to consistently find a way to put the ball into the end zone. Beyond that, Carr was struggling with a bevy of injuries throughout the year, as he was taking a bit of a beating from opposing defensive lines throughout the course of the year.
The hope is that the 2024 campaign will be better for Carr and company now that he has his first season with his new team under his belt. The offense still has some big name weapons at their disposal, such as Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave, and of course, when he's at his best, Carr is one of the top quarterbacks in the game.
Last season, though, Carr was consistent, but fairly unspectacular. He will be looking to improve his play in 2024, and if he can, the Saints could find themselves sneaking into the playoffs out of the NFC South. New Orleans will be facing off against Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium this year, so maybe his familiarity there will serve to help Carr in not just that game, but the season as a whole.
