When the New Orleans Saints made the major move to sign Derek Carr to a long-term contract last offseason in free agency, they felt they were getting a quarterback that could lead them back to serious playoff contention.
In his first season with his new team, Carr did not deliver on those expectations. He struggled with injuries throughout the majority of the year and even when he was healthy his production was not great. That has left fans wondering whether or not Carr is truly the guy that should lead the franchise moving forward.
Despite the lack of confidence from the fan base, the Saints still feel very strongly about their starting quarterback.
Mickey Loomis, the Saints’ general manager, spoke out about his quarterback. He made it clear that the franchise has a high level of confidence in Carr’s ability.
“He’s as tough as they come…I think the arrow is up and we’re excited about what Derek brings to the table.”
Derek Carr And The New Orleans Saints’ Future
While the Saints are outwardly saying the right things about their starting quarterback, they made an intriguing move in the 2024 NFL Draft to bring a quarterback that could develop into being their long-term signal caller.
Spencer Rattler fell all the way to the fifth round of the draft, where the Saints happily scooped him up. There are some who believe that Rattler has the best all-around arm talent of any quarterback in the entire 2024 draft class, even above Caleb Williams. He’ll need time to develop, but he adds an interesting element to the New Orleans quarterback room.
During the 2023 season with the Saints, Carr ended up playing in all 17 games. He completed a very solid 68.4 percent of his pass attempts for 3,878 yards, 25 touchdowns, and just eight interceptions. Those numbers certainly aren’t shabby, but they didn’t move the needle much for New Orleans.
When everything was said and done, the Saints finished the season with a 9-8 record and didn’t get into the playoffs.
At 33 years of age, Derek Carr is facing a very important season for his NFL future. If he is unable to make some noise for the Saints this year, they could consider making a change.
It will be interesting to see what the 2024 NFL season has in store for the New Orleans Saints and Carr. They have a lot of talented pieces, but need to put it all together. Head coach Dennis Allen could also be on the hot seat if the Saints don’t have a strong showing.
Expect to see a lot of pressure on Carr’s shoulders. He’s always put up solid numbers, but that hasn’t been enough throughout his entire career. New Orleans needs him to have his best season to date if they want to make some noise and be a true contender in an improving NFC.
