We know that the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets are in hot pursuit of former Las Vegas Raiders starter Derek Carr, but which other teams could enter the hunt for the free agent quarterback? We’ve got some ideas, but no matter the competing offers, ESPN’s Matt Bowen says the Saints are Carr’s best team fit in free agency:
“The Saints will need to get very creative here to make the money and salary cap work. But Carr — who was released by the Raiders — would obviously upgrade a New Orleans team that has key players in place on both sides of the ball and could challenge for an NFC South title. Remember, Saints coach Dennis Allen drafted Carr in 2014. Carr is a midtier starter with the arm talent to make every throw necessary in a pro offense, along with good mobility on second-reaction plays. But he must improve his footwork based on what we saw on the ’22 tape in order to be a more accurate thrower. His completion percentage was just 60.8% (second lowest of his career).”
Carr would have a strong supporting cast in New Orleans, teaming up with the best defense he’s ever played with while throwing passes to receiving talents like Chris Olave, Alvin Kamara, and Juwan Johnson (who the Saints can easily re-sign as a restricted free agent). The appeal in working with the coach that drafted him is obvious. But is it going to be enough to get a deal done between Carr and the Saints?
That’s the $35 million question. The rising rate of quarterback salaries mean the Saints will have to stretch their salary cap maneuvering to its limit; even midtier starters like Kirk Cousins, Jared Goff, and Carson Wentz are earning more than $30 million per year. The Saints were willing to break the bank for Deshaun Watson last year, though, and a contract with Carr wouldn’t be nearly as pricey. So it’s safe to say they have a plan for fitting him on the books. We’ll just have to see whether Carr is as eager to suit up in black and gold as they are to see him wearing it.