Derek Carr Is So Excited About His Saints Opener ... Now Where's His Parking Spot And Locker?

NEW ORLEANS - The last time Derek Carr played in the Caesar's Superdome, he rolled snake eyes.

He completed just 15 of 26 passes for 101 yards, suffered three sacks and threw an interception in a 24-0 loss last Oct. 30 as the Las Vegas Raiders quarterback. The Raiders finished 6-11, and they released Carr after nine seasons when he didn't waive his contract's no-trade clause.

And soon, he woke up as a Saint last March for $150 million over four years.

On Sunday, he will start for the New Orleans Saints in their preseason opener against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs (1 p.m., NFL Network). Chiefs' quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who won the NFL and Super Bowl MVP last season, is expected to start.

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"When you've been cut and released, any chance you have to put a uniform on in an NFL game, you take full advantage," Carr, 32, said Friday when asked how much he wants to play in - on paper - a meaningless exhibition.

"If they want me to play the whole game, I'll play the whole game gladly, because I'm not going to take any of this for granted," he said.

That won't happen. He is expected to play two or three series before backup Jameis Winston comes in and then rookie fourth round pick Jake Haener from Fresno State.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (third from left) poses with (from left) Saints coach Dennis Allen, owner Gayle Benson and general manager Mickey Loomis in March after signing with the club. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Carr also wants to get acclimated to his new home office - a place he has heard so much about from his friend and former Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who was at practice Friday.

"Even if it's just to hand the ball off," he said. "It's as little as, 'Where do I sit?' I haven't been in the locker room yet. I don't know where to park."

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He will have to get accustomed to Saints fans yelling for him - unless he plays poorly, that is.

"With all the weapons and talent we have and our offensive line, I mean it's going to be a lot of fun to be their quarterback," he said.

Two of those would-be weapons will be trying to revitalize their days of old with the Saints.

Wide receiver Michael Thomas has hopes to finally play an entire season for the first time since 2019 when he was one of the NFL's best wide receivers for the Saints.

A series of injuries kept him sidelined for most of the last three seasons. So far, he has talked a good game, but he has been a little off and rusty so far in training camp.

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And tight end Jimmy Graham is back after sitting out all of 2022 with a leg injury. He was one of the most feared tight ends in the game as a Saint from 2010-14 before short stints with Seattle, Green Bay and Chicago.

Running back Alvin Kamara could play, but may or may not. He recently received a three-game suspension for a battery arrest in February of 2022. He will miss the first three games of the regular season.

Saints coach Dennis Allen has much to prove after a disappointing first season in 2022 at 7-10. He is replacing Sean Payton - now the head coach of Denver. Allen was unsure how much Carr will play.

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"You get into the game, you watch how the game's going, and then we'll make a decision when I've seen enough," he said. "Then we'll make a switch. So, that's kind of where we're at."

Derek Carr will be playing in a preseason game for the first time since 2019.

"It will be my 10th year. I'm just going to do my job, rather than, 'Oh, it's the NFL,'" he said. "I don't want to lose the awe of it, but I don't get nervous anymore."

Carr will also be looking for second-year wide receiver Chris Olave, who was a favorite target of his in practice Friday.

"It's usually not as much as you ever want it to be because you're starting to feel good," he said of preseason games. "And then, bam, you're done. I need all the work I can get."