Last offseason, the New Orleans Saints won the Derek Carr sweepstakes after the Pro Bowl quarterback was released from his contract with the Las Vegas Raiders. The Saints signed Carr to a four-year, $150 million contract, hoping he could help them get back to competing for the NFC South division crown.
It didn’t quite work out that way in Carr’s first season in New Orleans, and now the team may already be trying to find a contingency plan for the future.
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New Orleans Saints may eye Derek Carr’s replacement in 2024 NFL Draft
NFL Draft expert Jordan Reid, discussing all the buzz he’s heard from the Senior Bowl, highlighted the New Orleans Saints as the ‘surprise’ team to watch when the first round of the draft gets underway on April 25.
“One that really sticks out to me, the (New Orleans) Saints. Just because we know the cap stuff that happens with them every year. Derek Carr. Everybody can debate about Derek Carr as far as how good they think he is, but them having a rookie quarterback, having that cap flexibility, we know that would really help them a lot and Derek Carr didn’t play very well last year in my opinion. So, them at 14 makes things really interesting whether it’s Bo Nix, J.J. McCarthy, or somebody like that.”
ESPN’s Jordan Reid on New Orleans Saints
Sitting with the 14th pick, the Saints could find themselves in a prime position to take one of the other QBs who doesn’t go in the top five. While the Saints do have other needs, identifying a young QB who’s much more affordable than Carr would certainly put this team back on the championship path while helping them come closer to fixing their cap issues.
Related: Spencer Rattler impresses more than Michael Penix Jr., Bo Nix during Senior Bowl practices