Chase Daniel defended Derek Carr after Michael Thomas attacked the Saints quarterback on social media.
Former New Orleans Saints star receiver Michael Thomas made headlines Sunday for a social media rant attacking his former quarterback Derek Carr. After Saints wideout Chris Olave suffered a concussion on a pass from Carr early in Sunday’s loss to the Carolina Panthers, Thomas criticized Carr for the throw and said the quarterback has long been the problem in New Orleans.
Former Saints quarterback Chase Daniel, who played alongside Thomas in 2017, criticized his former teammate for the exchange.
“Oh God, the Mike Thomas stuff, my goodness. I hate it, I hate it,” Daniel said on Scoop City with Dianna Russini. “I thought Derek handled it pretty well in the press conference. He was awesome, and he could’ve said a lot of things, and he was like, ‘Look, that was one of the guys that [I] didn’t vibe [with]'. Why do we feel the need to put this on social media? You’re crushing a guy that’s already down. Call me wrong, but I didn’t agree with it.”
Thomas played one season with Carr in 2023. After playing in 10 games from 2020-2022 while battling injuries, the three-time Pro Bowler struggled to produce last season, catching 39 passes for 448 yards and one touchdown. The Saints released him last offseason.
Carr's response to Thomas' tweets following the Saints' Week 9 loss quickly went viral on social media.
Derek Carr responds to Michael Thomas attacks after Saints loss
The Saints quarterback admitted that Thomas took issue with him during their lone season together.
“I’ve had so many teammates over the years, and he’s like the one dude that didn’t get along with me,” Carr said. “And I don’t know what I did to him. I don’t know why he feels that way. I’m sorry for whatever he’s dealing with to make him feel like he’s got to do that. I don’t know. But he’s never called me during any of this. My phone number has never changed. I’ve, in fact, called him on different occasions. Just to try.
“And sometimes you can try as hard as you want and it just doesn’t work out. And that’s ok. So I don’t know why he feels any type of way. I didn’t see it. I won’t see it. Because I always ignore everything, good and bad. I try to ignore everything. It’s unfortunate. Especially coming from a player like that. But I wish him the best. I hope he gets on a team and does what he wants to do and loves it.”
New Orleans fired head coach Dennis Allen following the Carolina loss. Carr and the Saints will look to get back on track under interim head coach Darren Rizzi when they host the Atlanta Falcons in Week 10.
