Derek Carr's leadership is infectious in the New Orleans Saints camp after his arrival following eight years with the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Raiders released the 32-year-old in February after the quarterback declined to waive a no-trade clause in his contract. He then landed at the Saints on a four-year deal worth $150 million contract, reuniting with former Raiders head coach Dennis Allen.
Carr's arrival has the Saints hoping for a postseason appearance in the 2023 campaign, having missed out last time after finishing third in the NFC South behind the Carolina Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccanneers. The four-time Pro Bowler brings a lot of attributes with him to The Big Easy but his leadership ranks among the highest, according to both head coach Allen and veteran Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu.
"Quarterback is the most important position on the field, and when you have a highly skilled player, a highly intelligent player, a guy that works the way Derek does, a guy that has the type of leadership qualities that Derek has, that’s going to filter throughout the whole football team, players and coaches,” Allen said to Nola.com. "I think that gives you a lot of confidence going into the season.”
While Mathieu said: "There’s just something different about this year. There’s a camaraderie and a brotherhood. I think we all kind of feel it right now."
Mathieu has been fortunate enough to play with the likes of Patrick Mahomes in his career and says someone of Carr's caliber has the Saints dreaming that they can go all the way and win the Super Bowl.
“Not to take anything away from Jameis (Winston) or Andy (Dalton), (because) those guys work hard and they’ve had success in this league and are very talented,” the veteran safety added.
“But anytime you can get a quarterback like (Carr), a guy that has proven for 10 years that he can get it done, I think it adds something to the team. This team believes we’re probably like one of 12 teams that can go the distance. We all believe that right now.”
Utility player Taysom Hill shares the same opinion as Mathieu and coach Allen. “He brings a presence, great leadership,” Hill said of Carr.
“Here’s a guy who has played a lot of football and he’s been super productive throughout his career, so he steps in the locker room, and you feel that.
"His presence in the huddle and what his expectations are of guys around him and what he expects from himself, it’s like all the things you want as a leader. And that didn’t take long for me to pick up on that and see that.”
