Former Bulldog Derek Carr signing with New Orleans Saints, ESPN reports

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Former Las Vegas Raiders and Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr is signing with the New Orleans Saints, sources told ESPN's Dianna Russini on Monday.

The Saints, who finished 7-10 last season, were among three teams, including the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, to have pursued Carr for several weeks after the Las Vegas Raiders allowed the veteran quarterback to talk to teams to possibly facilitate a trade.

Carr, 31, visited New Orleans and met with several members of the organization over two days in early February. He also met again with the team last week at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.

Carr declined to waive a no-trade clause in his contract and was released by the Raiders on Feb. 14 -- just before a deadline that would have guaranteed $40 million of his contract over the next two years. The release allowed him to immediately sign with any team instead of waiting until the official start of free agency.

The Raiders drafted the former Fresno State quarterback in the second round of the 2014 draft at No. 36, the fourth quarterback to be drafted that year.

He led the Raiders to two playoff appearances in his tenure: in 2021 and 2016. Both ended in losses in the Wild Card round.

This past season, he and Davante Adams were reunited in Las Vegas from their Bulldog days. The season was ultimately a disappointment, though, as the Raiders finished 6-11 and failed to reach the playoffs.

His final career record as a Raider was 63-79.

ESPN contributed to this report.