Raiders QB Derek Carr said goodbye to the Las Vegas team after 9 seasons and shared in his farewell that he had given them all he had “every single day” no matter whether it was off-season or not.
In a touching, lengthy post shared on Instagram, the Vegas QB said all he ever wanted to be was a Raider and that he still has that “fire” burning inside him to win a Championship no matter where that might be.
“Raider Nation it breaks my heart I didn’t get an opportunity to say goodbye in person,” Carr wrote. “We certainly have been on a roller coaster in our 9 years together. From the bottom of my heart, I am so grateful and appreciative of the years of support you gave to my family and me. We had our share of both heart breaking moments and thrilling game winning drives, and it always felt like you were there next to me.”
“It’s especially hard to say goodbye because I can honestly say that I gave you everything I had, every single day, in season, and in the off season,” he added. “It certainly wasn’t perfect, but I hope that I was able to leave you with more than a few great memories as Raider fans.”
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The NFL star thanked the city of Oakland, where the team used to play, for taking his family in and the city of Las Vegas as well as his teammates, the organization, coaches, staff, and all who helped his career there. And especially Raider Nation, the fans, for their support.
“I once said that if I’m not a Raider I would rather be at home and I meant that, but I never envisioned it ending this way,” Carr shared. “That fire burning inside of me to win a championship still rages. A fire no man can extinguish; only God.”
“So I look forward to a new city and a new team who, no matter the circumstance, will get everything I have,” he added. Winning a championship is what I’ve always wanted and what I will continue to work towards. God bless you all and with love.”
In December, Carr was benched for the remainder of the 2022 NFL season by head coach Josh McDaniels as the team stood 6-9 and was still essentially in the playoff hunt, as previously reported. McDaniels announced Jarrett Stidham would get the start instead, the Guardian noted.
Carr had been the Raiders’ starting QB since 2014 and had only missed three games in nine seasons due to injury, the outlet noted. In this offseason, Carr signed a three-year, $121.5 million contract extension, ESPN noted.
The Raiders acquired Stidham from the New England Patriots in an offseason trade. McDaniels previously was the Patriots’ offensive coordinator. Stidham got the start against the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs and the team lost both games and their chance of getting into the playoffs.