The New Orleans Saints signed Derek Carr to a four-year, $150 million contract heading into last season, but the early returns of his deal have not been good.
In spite of playing in the terribly weak NFC South, the Saints went just 9-8 and missed the playoffs in Carr’s debut campaign, which has many wondering if New Orleans made a mistake committing so much money to the quarterback long term.
However, Carr is assuring everyone that things will be different in 2024.
“Coming into this year, we’re just trying to build off of what we had last year,” Carr told Adam Schein on Mad Dog Sports Radio. “The relationships, the bonds, the unity, the time we spend together. I felt like coming into this offseason, compared to last offseason, we’re 10 times farther ahead of where we were. And I mean that as a team, as a group, as a unit. The bonds that we have. It’s the ultimate team sport and that’s the most important thing is the team. So we’re stepping into this year trying to build off how last year ended.”
Well, if that’s really the case, then the Saints should have no problem returning to the playoffs next winter.
Carr started all 17 games in 2023, throwing for 3,878 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 68.4 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 97.7.
While Carr’s numbers actually look solid on paper, the big-play ability simply wasn’t there last season. At least not on a consistent basis.
Can the Saints win the NFC South in 2024?
The NFC South is certainly a very winnable division, but can the Saints unseat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to capture the division crown?
The Buccaneers certainly won’t be pushovers this year, as they have great continuity after re-signing all of their key free agents—including resurgent quarterback Baker Mayfield and wide receiver Mike Evans—this offseason.
Plus, the Atlanta Falcons should be better after signing Kirk Cousins and also recently adding Matthew Judon and Justin Simmons to their defense.
The Carolina Panthers went just 2-15 last year, but they figure to be improved, as well.
So, while the NFC South may still be the worst division in football, it will definitely be more difficult this season, and with the Saints not making a whole lot of roster additions during the offseason, you have to wonder if they’ll really be any better come next month.
One thing is for sure: Derek Carr will have to play better football on a weekly basis.
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