Former Raiders Quarterback Derek Carr Is Headed To The New Orleans Saints
It appears that the New Orleans Saints and quarterback Derek Carr are close to agreeing to terms on a contract.
It looks like Carr has chosen the Saints over the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers. All of which had been linked to the quarterback for weeks now. The terms of the contract are not yet available, however, this contract will have a significant impact on setting the market for other mid-tier quarterbacks like Daniel Jones. While Carr is far from a superstar, he’s a significant upgrade from anyone the Saints have had under center in years. This included Andy Dalton, an oft-injured Jameis Winston, and even the last few years of a physically diminished Drew Brees. This is a big move for this franchise.
It was also a good choice by Carr. The Saints have talented young pass-catchers for him to throw to like second-year wideout Chris Olave and third-year tight end Juwan Johnson. He will also be working with playmakers like Taysom Hill and Alvin Kamara, and potentially veteran wideouts like Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry. This lands him in a very winnable NFC South where the spotlight won’t be on him. There were some reports he had favored the Jets, however, going to a dumpster fire of an organization like that is never a smart choice regardless of the talent surrounding you because the dysfunction is systemic and starts at the top. Carr and the Saints are both winners here.
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Fantasy Impact Of Derek Carr Signing
This is essentially a lateral move for Carr from a talent perspective. He loses stud wideout Davante Adams and a declining Darren Waller, both of whom are on the wrong side of 30. While now getting to work with an ascending but less proven core featuring Olave and Johnson. We expect Carr to have a better season in 2023, but more because of the change of scenery than the talent around him. Last season was his worst since his rookie year and he’s just one year removed from a 4,804-yard season. Being that he topped 4,000 yards in four straight seasons the Saints are obviously hoping last year was an anomaly and a product of the dysfunction in Las Vegas.
This is a big boost for the Saints’ pass-catchers with Olave and Johnson being the two we will focus on. Both young stars had breakout seasons and receive a big upgrade at quarterback. For Olave, he is a speedster who now has a big-armed quarterback who will take chances and get the ball deep downfield accurately. Johnson will hope to replicate the success we’ve seen Carr have Waller in Vegas.
It’s unclear where this leaves the Raiders and their pass-catchers. They are obviously a franchise in flux at the moment that will likely look to add a starting quarterback in free agency or the draft. It’s hard to project anything for guys like Adams, Waller, and Hunter Renfrow until we figure out who their play caller will be. Right now, Jarrett Stidham sits atop the depth chart in Vegas. Unless the quarterback is a massive disaster, we do expect Adams to be fine. Nonetheless, we will have to revisit this in the coming months.
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