New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr didn't hold back when talking about his rather unceremonious exit from the Las Vegas Raiders.

Carr, who signed with the Saints this offseason after the Raiders released him in February, admitted that the team's decision to bench him for the last two games of the 2022 season didn't particularly sit well with him. He really wanted to play and finish his Las Vegas career on a good note, but the team had other plans and denied him the opportunity.

“I was, for lack of a better term, I was very upset; I was mad,” Carr told The Fresno Bee when asked about the late-season benching.

“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.”

It's understandable why the Raiders thought it was for the best to bench Derek Carr at that point. First and foremost, they were already out of the playoff picture at that point. It's no use playing Carr and exposing him to the possibility of an injury. And speaking of injury, the team has every reason to be careful about his health since his contract would have been guaranteed had he gotten injured.

Considering all that, it's hard to blame the Raiders for their decision.

It's hard not to feel for Carr, though. All he wanted was to end an incredible run with the Raiders after nine seasons with them, but he wasn't given that.

Hopefully, though, Carr can fully move on from that rather disappointing end to his Raiders career. He gets fresh start in New Orleans with the Saints, and that's all that matters now.