Las Vegas Raiders fans have a reputation as a bit of a rough-and-tumble group. Makes for a great home atmosphere, intimidates opponents. It's attitude with purpose. Apparently, none of that rubbed off on New Orleans Saints QB Derek Carr during his nine seasons with the franchise.

“I'm gonna be the kind of guy I want my kids to be if they go through a hard time,” is how Carr summed up his mantra to ESPN, per The 33rd Team's Ari Meirov.

Although no one would begrudge Carr if he were bitter about how his tenure with the Raiders ended, he sure has taken the high road, judging by his own actions. Carr admitted that he texted Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels after the team's Week 1 victory.

“After the game I text Josh McDaniels, ‘Hey, congrats on beating the Broncos man. That's awesome, just like we did last year!'” McDaniels then sent Carr a similar text back, per his former quarterback.

The Saints' signal-caller was even benevolent to the man who calls the shots in Las Vegas. “When I left, I had a great conversation with Mark Davis. He knows at some point I'm gonna be coming back.”

Carr's attitude towards the team that drafted him back in 2014 is impressive, especially considering how things ended. The team decided to bench Carr for the final two games of the 2022 season. That decision was primarily a financial one — the Raiders did not want to risk Carr getting hurt and thereby having his contract guarantee for injury.

After the season, unable to convince Carr to waive his no-trade clause, the Raiders cut him, paving the way for him to join New Orleans. Surely Carr's pride was hurt, and we know the end hurt his wife's feelings.

Still, Carr rises above it, and is even looking forward to a return to the team. But the Saints still have his focus. “‘Once a Raider, always a Raider' they always say that. I'll be thankful for that when I'm not a Saint.”