Is Derek Carr the quarterback the Saints have been waiting for?

Anytime a franchise has a legendary, Hall of Fame-type quarterback, it generally takes a while to get one even close to what you had.

The New Orleans Saints have learned that firsthand.

Since Drew Brees retired in 2020, the Black & Gold have used guys like Trevor Sieman, Jameis Winston, Taysom Hill, Ian Book, and Andy Dalton as their starting quarterbacks.

In that span, the Saints haven’t made the playoffs. So, it’s safe to say they were looking for a revamp this offseason when they signed Derek Carr in Free Agency for $150M.

Carr was drafted in 2014 by the then-Oakland Raiders in the first round (you might know who the head coach was at the time). The relationship between Carr and Dennis Allen never honestly had the chance to develop because DA was fired after an 0-4 start. Now, the Saints' head coach can prove why he drafted the Fresno State slinger back in 2014.

During the nine seasons of Carr’s career, he holds a record of 63-79, which I understand is not great (he played for the Oakland Raiders). But his individual statistics show a ton of positives. He has a career 65% completion percentage with over 35,000 yards passing, 217 touchdowns, and 99 interceptions. As a fan and a journalist, I will take 65% and a 2 to 1 TD-INT ratio all day.

When you look at the situation he’s walked into with New Orleans, he has weapons everywhere he looks. For the majority of his time out west, he didn’t have many weapons other than Michael Crabtree, Hunter Renfrow, and most recently Davante Adams. Now, he shares a locker room with Michael Thomas, Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Taysom Hill, Juwan Johnson, Jamaal Williams, Alvin Kamara, and a slew of young talented players.

So, even though Derek Carr has never really experienced team success, he’s a quarterback that will bring a ton of energy and smart decision-making to the Saints' offense.

“I’m gonna do my best to get us in the right situation, make the best decision with the football,” said Carr last week during mandatory minicamp. “We’re in a great situation here with all the weapons that we do have, that we don’t just have to force it to one guy.”

I’m not here to say that Derek Carr is going to be the next Drew Brees for New Orleans, but if he can be half of what #9 gave this city, the Saints will be in good hands for the next four years at least.

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