Category: Derek Carr

Kyle Brandt ranks Derek Carr as a third-tier quarterback in the NFC

NFL Network’s Kyle Brandt ranked Saints passer Derek Carr as a third-tier quarterback in the NFC; @crissy_froyd on whether that’s a fair placement:

NFL Network host Kyle Brandt recently broke down his seven tiers of NFC quarterbacks on the Good Morning Football show, listing New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr as a third-tier quarterback in the conference. The other quarterbacks sharing that tier were Geno Smith and Jared Goff.

This put Carr just a bit ahead of the middle of the pack, in front of the likes of Brock Purdy, Baker Mayfield and others. It also put him behind some names that included Kirk Cousins, Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts.

Hurts was the only passer to land in the top tier, which makes plenty of sense after he signed a five-year contract for some $255 million dollars with the Philadelphia Eagles that set a record for a short period of time.

It will be interesting to watch how Carr fares with a change of scenery after he departed from the Las Vegas Raiders, finishing out his most recent season with a 60.8% completion rate, 3,522 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

There’s no question that Carr’s touchdown-to-interception ratio has got to improve moving forward into what could be the last stages of his career with the number of years he has been in the league, but it’s safe to say this is a fair ranking for Carr given where the ceiling and the floor have proven to stand so far.

Obviously projected as the starting quarterback ahead of fall camp (anything else would be something as a surprise), Carr and the Saints await their 2023 schedule to be released on Thursday, May 11.

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Derek Carr congratulates Lamar Jackson on his massive contract extension

Saints quarterback Derek Carr congratulated Lamar Jackson on his massive contract extension, saying the 2019 league MVP is worth ‘every single penny’

This is cool to see: the Baltimore Ravens reached an agreement with Lamar Jackson on a five-year contract extension valued at $260 million, which is drawing a range of reactions from around the NFL world. And New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr couldn’t be happier for him.

Carr offered his congratulations on social media to the 2019 league MVP, saying Jackson is worth “every single penny” from his Twitter account. He and Jackson met occasionally while competing in the crowded AFC, though it may take some time before they cross paths again.

At any rate, it’s clear that Carr is paying close attention to goings-on around the league. With the 2023 NFL draft kicking off in just a few hours, more congratulations will be in order — especially to his new teammates turning pro in the days ahead.

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Lamar Jackson’s landmark Ravens deal makes Saints-Derek Carr contract look even better

Lamar Jackson’s landmark Ravens deal makes the Saints-Derek Carr contract look even better. He arrived in New Orleans at the right time:

It took them long enough, but the Baltimore Ravens finally rewarded Lamar Jackson with the long-term deal he earned — a landmark contract extension reportedly valued at $52 million per year over five years, carrying a whopping $185 million in guarantees. Good for him.

It’s good for the New Orleans Saints, too, because it further justifies the deal they reached with Derek Carr in free agency. Here’s where their starting quarterback ranks among his peers now that Jackson has reached this agreement with Baltimore:

Anonymous NFL exec on 2023 draft QB Jake Haener: ‘He’s got a little Drew Brees to him’

At least one anonymous NFL executive thinks highly of 2023 draft QB Jake Haener, telling NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero: ‘He’s got a little Drew Brees to him’

There’s something you don’t see everyday. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero spoke with sources around the league while digging into the 2023 NFL draft class at quarterback, and one passer was compared favorably to New Orleans Saints legend Drew Brees. And like Brees, they aren’t projected to be a first-round pick.

One team’s anonymous executive drew a comparison between Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener and Brees, as well as other undersized passers to have their day in the sun in the NFL, telling Pelissero: “I think he’s similar to Gardner Minshew. He’s got some gamer to him, he’s accurate — he just doesn’t have a big arm. But he’s got a little Drew Brees to him. The ball’s going to come out. He knows where he’s going with it. He’s just not a big person (5-11 5/8, 207 pounds), so can he hold up?”

Haener is expected to be picked in the third or fourth round of this year’s draft, having improved year-over-year with his accuracy and ball security while being voted a team captain in each of his three years as the Bulldogs’ starter. He played through injuries and missed some time with a broken ankle in 2022.

Still, Haener is an electrifying presence on the field, and he throws a very catchable football. He has plenty of experience running a pro-style offense and is skilled at reading the field and getting the ball where it needs to go. He’s more pro-ready than other quarterbacks the Saints have picked in the mid-rounds before like Ian Book and Garrett Grayson. If New Orleans wants to invest in a long-term backup for Carr, getting a popular passer from his alma mater wouldn’t be the worst move. Maybe Haener has more Brees in him than we think.

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Drew Brees confident Derek Carr can help Saints ‘make a run at it’

Drew Brees is confident Derek Carr can help the New Orleans Saints ‘make a run at it’ in a wide-open NFC playoff picture:

The New Orleans Saints made a big splash in free agency when they signed longtime Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, and Drew Brees is a fan of the move. He expects Carr to hit the ground running and quickly establish a rapport with his new coaches, including his play caller. He spoke about the move with The Advocate’s Luke Johnson at the Zurich Classic this week.

“I think he’ll mesh well with Pete Carmichael,” Brees began. “I think he’s got some weapons around him. I’m excited that Michael Thomas will be back and hopefully healthy — he deserves that. I think they’re going to be well-positioned to make a run at it.”

The NFC South is a morass waiting for one team to separate itself from the pack, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tanking while the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers slowly rebuild. Just four teams won double-digit games in the conference last year: the Philadelphia Eagles (14-3), San Francisco 49ers (13-4), Minnesota Vikings (13-4), and Dallas Cowboys (12-5), leaving plenty of room for an opportunistic squad like New Orleans to elbow into the playoff picture.

Carr has caught some flak for getting the Raiders to just one playoff berth in a decade under center, but Brees chalks that up to the disfunction surrounding that franchise: “I think he caught the brunt of that unfairly, and I think you shoulder a lot of that burden as the quarterback anyway. I think highly of him as a person. He’s shown the ability to execute complicated offenses where a lot is put on the quarterback position to be able to make checks and make reads very quickly. He’s proven that.”

His best performances came in the West Coast-style offense that former Raiders coach Jon Gruden ran from 2018 to 2021, in which Carr posted four consecutive 4,000-yard seasons while completing 67.3% or more of his passes (and scoring 90 touchdown passes against 41 interceptions). Gruden’s playbook shares a lot of DNA with the system Sean Payton installed in New Orleans, and which Carmichael is still running. Expectations are high for Carr going into 2023.

As Brees pointed out, we’ve seen the impact an upgrade at quarterback can make for a team — Tom Brady won the Buccaneers a Super Bowl. That’s a lofty expectation to put on Carr. Let’s just start out with hoping for a postseason appearance.

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Where does Derek Carr’s average salary rank among QBs after Jalen Hurts extension?

Where does Derek Carr’s average salary rank among QBs after Jalen Hurts extension? The New Orleans Saints free agent pickup is beginning to look like a bargain:

The Philadelphia Eagles reset the market at quarterback in a landmark contract extension with Jalen Hurts, and it’s beginning to make Derek Carr’s deal with the New Orleans Saints look like a bargain. Other young quarterbacks in line for paydays include Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens), Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers), and Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals). As more and more of these standout passers get paid, Carr’s average annual salary is going to get passed up. When all’s said and done he’ll probably rank 13th or 14th around the league.

For now, though, here’s where Carr stands compared to his peers around the NFL:

Derek Carr helped recruit ‘great teammate’ Johnathan Abram to Saints

Derek Carr says he helped recruit Johnathan Abram to the Saints, describing the Raiders’ former first-round pick as a ‘great teammate’

The New Orleans Saints have brought in a couple of Derek Carr’s former Las Vegas Raiders teammates, and he played a part in recruiting at least one of them. Carr shared some insight on veteran safety Johnathan Abram on his nephew Austin’s Harvester Sports Podcast, detailing how he reached out to the Raiders’ former first-round pick in hopes of getting him to New Orleans. Abram later signed a one-year contract with the Saints.

“I was begging him to (sign here),” Carr recounted. “You know, he was going through the process (in free agency). I was like bro, come be a Saint. Stop playing. You know? Come back, let’s do what we can, let’s see if we can go and try to win the NFC South, see what happens after that.”

Abram was known as a high-effort player with the Raiders with a knack for making strong tackles downfield in run defense — the tradeoff being some vulnerabilities that opponents exploited in coverage, kind of like former Saints safety Roman Harper. If Dennis Allen and Joe Woods can get Abram into a position to play to his strengths, maybe Abram can make a positive impact.

“I love John, he’s a great teammate. He plays so hard,” Carr emphasized. We’ll see if Abram’s on-field production can live up to the billing, but it says a lot that his old quarterback is willing to go to bad for him like this.

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Derek Carr’s Saints wish list starts with catching a Taysom Hill TD pass

Derek Carr probably has a long New Orleans Saints wish list, but it starts with joining the exclusive club to catch a Taysom Hill touchdown pass:

There are a lot of NFL defenders who can say they’ve been outrun by Taysom Hill (or run over by him) on a touchdown-scoring play, but there aren’t many guys who can say they’ve caught a touchdown pass from the do-it-all New Orleans Saints utility player. Last year, Hill became the first player since the AFL-NFL merger to score at least 10 touchdowns as a passer, runner, and receiver, including the playoffs.

Derek Carr probably has a long list of items to check off on his Saints to-do list, but he’d really like to join the exclusive group who have hit paydirt on a pass from Hill. Carr made his case now that they’re teammates during an appearance on his nephew Austin’s Harvester Sports Podcast. Carr has only caught a single pass in his NFL career, losing 9 yards on a reception back in 2018, but he’s undeterred.

“I need a catch,” Carr laughed, turning to the camera. “Taysom, bro, I’m ready. Whip that thing to me.”

Tight ends Jared Cook and Adam Trautman have each caught a pair of touchdown passes from Hill, and he’s also connected with running back Alvin Kamara and wide receivers Rashid Shaheed, Emmanuel Sanders, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, and Deonte Harty, as well as Tre’Quan Smith on his 10 career touchdown throws. He and Drew Brees joked about trying it for years, but they never got the look they wanted on the rare occasions when the plan was run during games.

So it would be pretty sweet if Hill and Carr could pull it off. It’s something to watch out for when they share the field in 2023. Hill proved he could be more of an asset as a runner last season, posting his highest totals in rushing yards (575) and carries (96) while matching his career-high 34 first down conversions on the ground. He wasn’t as big a part of the passing attack as a receiver, but his history of injuries in that phase of the game make dialing it back worthwhile. Let him go out and do what he does best. Maybe that can help set up a surprise touchdown pass to his new quarterback.

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Derek Carr impressed by New Orleans Saints’ crafty salary cap accounting

Derek Carr impressed by the Saints’ crafty salary cap accounting, says of cap guru Khai Harley: ‘That man’s wheeling and dealing’ in free agency

There’s been a bit of an adjustment period for Derek Carr after he signed with the New Orleans Saints. Not just in moving his family from the communities they’ve lived grown up in, over in Southern California and Nevada to New Orleans, but in seeing how differently one NFL organization can be run compared to another. After spending most of a decade with the cash-strapped Raiders, he’s been blown away by how big of spenders the Saints have been in free agency.

Carr made a guest appearance on his nephew Austin’s Harvester Sports Podcast, where he noted how impressed he was by the team’s crafty salary cap accounting. Football administration vice president Khai Harley continued to prove his worth in a surprisingly-busy free agency experience for New Orleans. While catching up on the latest news, Carr was thrilled to see the league’s touchdown runs leader Jamaal Williams arrive to share the backfield with him and Alvin Kamara.

“You see the guy who had all the touchdowns, and first of all, where’d we get all the money? Where’d we get this money?” Carr laughed. “My man Khai in New Orleans, that man’s wheeling and dealing. It’s funny. We signed him and I’m like, dude, this is awesome.”

It’s a big difference from what Carr experienced on the Raiders, whose owner Mark Davis is notoriously cash-poor; his team’s shoddy financials was at least a partial factor in the decision to trade superstar pass rusher Khalil Mack back in 2018 rather than sign him to a lucrative extension. Despite also hailing from a small market, the Saints always seek to max out their resources and field the most competitive team possible.

Carr pointed to some of the other names the Saints brought in during free agency — a pair of new starting defensive tackles, and quality depth in the secondary, plus his former teammate Bryan Edwards at wide receiver. One free agent pickup Carr singled out was defensive back Lonnie Johnson Jr., who he’s eager to compete against in practice over the summer.

“This guy’s a baller, I’ve always loved him,” Carr gushed, “He’s so talented. And then we sign him, and I’m like, I was right! They think so too.”

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Derek Carr says he reached out to Cam Jordan, Demario Davis before signing with Saints

Derek Carr says he reached out to team leaders like Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis before signing to get a feel for the Saints locker room:

It’s understandable that Derek Carr would commit his due diligence before signing with the New Orleans Saints, but it’s refreshing to hear his side of the story that brought him to the black and gold. Carr joined his nephew Austin’s Harvester Sports Podcast to reflect on the busy weeks he’s experienced as a free agent before landing with the Saints, and one anecdote he shared was some communication with leaders of the team before pens went to paper.

“One thing that’s important to me, is how do y’all feel about it?” Carr recounted in conversations with the Saints’ defensive captains. “Because (the front office and coaches) can want me all they want. But if I walk into that locker room and y’all are like, ‘Man, I don’t know,” just tell me. Tell me exactly what you think. Because I want to walk into a situation where people are excited to have me. I’m going to prove that every day. I get to reinvent myself again, walk into a new spot, and show them my work ethic.”

Jordan was actively recruiting Carr on social media when news broke of the Saints’ interest in the quarterback during free agency, and Davis also lobbied for him while making the media rounds at the Pro Bowl Games in Las Vegas. They both threw their support behind him, and now Carr is their quarterback.

Hopefully the Saints can continue to stack talent around him and build a situation everyone can benefit from. But it’s worth noting that both Jordan and Davis are closer to the end of their playing careers than their heyday. Jordan is entering the final year of his contract and will turn 34 this summer. Davis is already at that age and will enter the final year of his own deal next season. It’s important that they’ve both held down leadership positions for New Orleans, but it’s important that the Saints identify successors for both of them in the near future, too. The upcoming 2023 NFL draft will give them ample opportunity.

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