What do the #Saints think of Derek Carr? @camjordan94 weighs in from Phoenix…including some minor stress at the beginning of this question
@WWLTV pic.twitter.com/w0Xlk0oORB
— Brooke Kirchhofer (@brookechesney) February 11, 2023
How would Derek Carr’s potential New Orleans Saints teammates feel about having him join them in black and gold? Cameron Jordan shared his take on the situation as the Saints work to recruit the Las Vegas Raiders quarterback in a conversation with WWL’s Brooke Kirchhofer.
Jordan did downplay the Saints’ meetings with Carr so far: “We’re just courting. It’s just a date. He’s already got another date with Carolina,” Jordan speculated. For what it’s worth, no other team has scheduled a visit with Carr or been reported as a suitor besides the Saints, including the division-rival Panthers.
“Any time the organization has their eyes set on somebody, we can win with them,” Jordan said, expressing faith in the team’s scouting department to find their next quarterback. He acknowledged the success Jameis Winston had prior to his serious back injury and how well Andy Dalton played in a less-than-ideal situation before pivoting back to Carr.
Jordan continued, “You get a guy like Derek Carr, who you know is an upper, young quarterback who can play well into his — is he even 30 yet? We’ve got time. He has like 9 years in the league — and you have a guy you know we can win. We played him last year, so as long as it’s not against the Saints, we know he can win.”
The Raiders are 24-24 in the last three years since moving to Las Vegas, and they’re 63-79 in games Carr has started since 2014, though it’s tough to say how much blame he should get for their lack of success. Their offense has ranked 12th, 18th, and 10th in points scored the last three seasons under Carr’s management but their defense has finished at 26th, 26th, and 30th. It’s a trend that’s continued throughout his career, with the Raiders posting a positive scoring differential only once, in 2016.
So Jordan’s defense could be a big boon for Carr if he can sort things out offensively. But as Jordan pointed out, we’re in the very early stages of any sort of team-up. Carr’s trade deadline is only days away, so hopefully this situation resolves itself quickly, and in a way that benefits New Orleans.