With nine seasons on his resume, Derek Carr is no stranger to the NFL.
The veteran quarterback is, however, new to the New Orleans Saints, just his second team in the league.
And yet, that doesn’t mean he’s going to play in the Saints’ first taste of competition with preseason games this August. Carr hasn’t participated in an exhibition matchup since 2019. Sitting out is not an abnormal move for more experienced players.
“Anytime I have the opportunity to put that jersey on, it's a blessing to walk out on that field,” Carr said. “If they need me to play, I'll play. Want me to play 30 plays? I'll play 30 plays. You want me to play a whole half? I may question it. I'm just kidding. No, I'll play. I'm never going to feel like I don't need it.”
Up until this point, the 32-year-old Carr has played with only the Las Vegas Raiders. The organization, which was actually led by Saints coach Dennis Allen at the time, drafted him out of Fresno State in 2014.
As a rookie, Carr played in three of the Raiders’ four preseason games. He never has played in every preseason game during a season.
Through his career, Carr has played in 14 of 30 possible preseason games. He has completed 132 of 221 pass attempts for 1,578 yards, 12 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
“There were some times that I didn't play at all in the preseason, and we'd still play good in the first couple of weeks,” Carr said. “It proved to me that if you practice the right way, you can do it.
"And those things like joint practices? Whenever you have those, those are better than preseason reps, because you actually get to actually show stuff. They show the pressures, they show different coverages, rather than what they show in the preseason.”
Luckily for Carr, the Saints and Los Angeles Chargers will conduct joint practices during training camp this year, as first reported by The Times-Picayune columnist Jeff Duncan. Their workouts, which still technically need to be approved by the NFL, would be held at the Chargers' training camp site of Hammett Sports Complex is Costa Mesa, California. The two teams are scheduled to play Aug. 20 at SoFi Stadium.
That will be the Saints’ second preseason game. Their opener is Aug. 13 in New Orleans at the Caesars Superdome against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Saints’ third and final preseason game is Aug. 27 at home against the Houston Texans.
If Carr does not play, the Saints have two other quarterbacks to throw out there. Jameis Winston returned for his fourth season in New Orleans. The Saints also drafted Jake Haener with a fourth-round pick from Fresno State.
"I think the coaches will probably want to see me throw a couple in their jersey, so we'll see,” Carr said. “We haven't even talked about it, if I'm honest. But if I play, awesome; if not, we'll make sure we're ready to go Week 1.”
