Slowly but surely, Derek Carr is becoming a Louisianan.
In four months as a member of the New Orleans Saints, he’s attended a Pelicans game, dressed his children in LSU gear, experienced a power outage at his home and most recently bagged a trophy alligator gar on a bowfishing trip.
The latter achievement, perhaps, being the most impressive of his Southern metamorphosis.
“Ya’ll didn’t tell me how awesome it is,” Carr said to local reporters Tuesday when asked about the excursion he and teammates took last week as part of a team-building exercise during offseason workouts.
Saints coach Dennis Allen surprised the team last week with news of the fishing trip after the team's offseason practice June 7. Players and coaches bussed south to Premier Bowfishing Charters in Hopedale for three hours of fishing in the marshes of St. Bernard Parish.
For the 41 new players and handful of new coaches on the Saints roster, boating deep into the boggy marsh and shooting massive drum, redfish and alligator gars was a mind-blowing experience.
“It’s electric,” Carr said. “Foster (Moreau) texted me while we were all on the boat, and said, ‘Bro, are you good?’ … I said, ‘Bro, I’m a swamp person. This is awesome.' ”
Derek Carr is officially a Louisiana resident after his first ever bowfishing trip with Premier Bowfishing Charters🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/nqow37GGl4
— Boot Krewe Media (@BootKreweMedia) June 9, 2023
Carr said his quarterbacking skills were useful while trying to target the elusive fish in the shallow, milky waters. They helped him land one of the biggest fish of the night, a 4-foot alligator gar.
“You gotta see it moving, and you gotta hit the target,” Carr said. “It freaked me out when I saw that big alligator gar and they threw it on the boat and started hitting it in the head with a hammer. I was like, ‘Bro, what are you doing?’ But it was a lot of fun, I’m not gonna lie.”
This is not the first time the Saints have bowfished as a team-building exercise. They also went in 2018. Jorda Elliot, who owns and operates Premier Bowfishing, guided a boat at that event for another charter outfit. He said the biggest challenge for him and his staff was finding 25 guides and specially-equipped boats to handle the 80-plus players and coaches on the trip.
"It was a good time for everyone, especially just being out there," Elliot said. "Even these guys that have never even picked up a bow before were shooting lights out. It just shows you the kind of athletes they are."
Some players such as veteran Cam Jordan were experienced bowfishermen. Others, such as Carr, were attempting the sport for the first time. Elliot said Carr told him he'd been bowhunting before and had shot a buffalo on a recent trip.
"I told him, 'This is gonna be a little different than that,' " Elliot said with a laugh.
Elliot said the fishing conditions were not ideal the night of their trip, and the guides were limited to how much water they could explore because of the three-hour time frame. The final haul was about 200 fish, Elliot said.
“I’d never been. It was a great experience,” said receiver Chris Olave, who was born and raised in the San Diego area. “I’d never really been out there in nature, being on the water. That’s definitely something I look forward to doing in the future.”
According to Saints rookie kicker Blake Grupe’s TikTok, the team went bowfishing? pic.twitter.com/Gg0vGjP6Xw
— Terrin Waack (@TerrinWaack) June 10, 2023
Veteran running back Jamaal Williams was less enamored. He boated one fish on the night, which satisfied the California native.
"I’m pretty sure I closed my eyes on it,” Williams said. "But I caught it, so I got one fish. That was it.”
Williams said he was more interested in exploring the local restaurant scene than making a second trip back to the marsh.
"Aim low, that’s what I learned (on the bowfishing trip)," said Williams, while breaking into a wide smile. "I'm not much of an outdoorsman. I’d rather stay in a house with walls and internet and outlets."
The Saints have partaken in various activities for team-building exercises in past years, including golf, bowling and paintball. One year they raced cars at NOLA Motorsports Park. Another time they descended on a water park in Jackson, Mississippi. They even competed in a French Quarter treasure hunt.
The idea behind the exercises is to build relationships and foster camaraderie among the players and coaches, many of whom are new to the team.
“Doing stuff like that, I thought it was really cool of (coach Allen),” Carr said. “It was cool, because you’re in a group of guys that you’re not usually in the meeting room with. It's linebacker, D end, receivers, tight ends, quarterbacks … everyone’s mixed in with a position coach and all that. That’s how you continue to make that team stronger.”
