Juwan Johnson passionately defends Derek Carr: 'People don’t give him enough credit'

Throughout his time with the Raiders, quarterback Derek Carr was a polarizing player. Carr left Vegas and came to the New Orleans Saints in 2023, but his polarizing reputation followed him. Starting all 17 games for the Saints, Carr led New Orleans to a 9-8 record while completing 68.4% of his passes for 3,878 yards, 25 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.

Despite being a game away from the playoffs, it was an underwhelming year for the Saints. This led to some fans and analysts debating if Derek Carr even deserves a second year with New Orleans. While all signs point to Carr returning, his teammate Juwan Johnson recently explained why that’s the right decision.

Speaking with FanSided’s Stacking The Box podcast at the Super Bowl’s radio row, Johnson explained that Carr is a terrific leader and went on to say that he doesn’t get enough credit for what he does on the field.

"I’m always riding with Derek. Derek is my guy. I think people don’t give him enough credit for the things that he does, aside from all the things that he goes through. He still manages to show up on Sunday and do his thing no matter what."

- Juwan Johnson on Derek Carr

Derek Carr has the support of Juwan Johnson

With Carr set to return for year number two with the Saints, this kind of support from the locker room is important. It’s fair to say that New Orleans was a dysfunctional team in 2023 and that’s why a lot of people aren’t high on the team’s immediate future. However, the Saints clearly have some talent on their roster, and even with all the dysfunction from last season, they were a few plays away from the playoffs.

With a new offensive coaching staff, Derek Carr in his second season, and all of the new pieces that New Orleans will add in the offseason, the Saints have a chance to win more games and Carr could change his narrative.

Juwan Johnson participated in this Super Bowl Media Week interview on behalf of Total by Verizon.

READ MORE