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Derek Carr on leaving Raiders: 'Once they made my wife cry, that was pretty much over'

After nine seasons with the Raiders, quarterback Derek Carr didn't exactly have a fairytale ending in Las Vegas, and he made it known he wasn't happy with how the relationship ended.

Following an up-and-down start to the year, the Raiders opted to bench Carr for the remainder of the regular season in favor of Jarrett Stidham after a Week 16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in which he threw three interceptions.

Once the regular season was over, the second round selection in the 2014 NFL draft said goodbye to Raider fans and was released by the team in February, before signing a four-year contract with the New Orleans Saints in March.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) passes during minicamp at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center.
New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) passes during minicamp at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center.

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Derek Carr 'mad' about not finishing tenure at home

Speaking to The Fresno Bee, Carr said he wasn't happy he wasn't able to finish his Raiders tenure in front of the home fans at Allegiant Stadium, as the Raiders final two regular season games were home.

"I was, for lack of a better term, I was very upset; I was mad," he said. "You spend nine years in a place, you have all the records and you can play at a high level and for something to get in the way, whether it was whatever reason, money related or whatever, injury related, I would have said I don’t even want the money, just to play two more times in front of our fans. I didn’t get that opportunity. So it definitely lit a fire inside me to keep going."

Carr was asked if the Raiders decided to instead retain him, would he have been on board to return. But the damage was done, and Carr was ready to move on because of what Las Vegas did to someone close to him.

"Once they made my wife cry, that was pretty much over," Carr said. "Once they made her cry, that was out. But the love for my teammates is what probably would have made me do it. But the way it worked out and the timing of things, I was just … it was time for me to move on. But who knows? You never know what will happen."

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Moving onto New Orleans Saints

Carr admitted he didn't win enough games for Las Vegas and it was only a matter of time before his tenure was over. Despite the rocky end to the relationship, Carr said he wants to see the Raiders succeed, but he is focused and excited to play for the Saints.

"I’m happy to be somewhere where we’re in a stable organization that’s been proven for years and I hope that the Raiders find something good there too, where they can keep that stability for the next guys because I know how important it is and I care about my old teammates. But for the time being, I’m just excited to be a part of the Saints organization because they’ve won at a high level for a long time.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Derek Carr 'was mad' about how tenure with Las Vegas Raiders ended