Raiders: Why Derek Carr to the Saints makes sense
The NFC is wide open for any contender
The other appealing prospect of playing in New Orleans is the fact that Carr gets to make the switch from AFC to NFC. The AFC is a current murderers row of quarterbacks as any team hoping to go to the Super bowl would have to go through the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, and even Justin Herbert and Trevor Lawrence get a nod here as well.
Depending on where Aaron Rodgers ends up, we can say with a fair bit of confidence that Derek Carr could be a top three quarterback in the NFC. Jalen Hurts is a talented youngster but will be getting paid this offseason, Dak Prescott is inconsistent, Kyler Murray is coming off an ACL injury, Kirk Cousins is solid, Tom Brady retired, Matt Stafford has injury issues, and the rest of the pack of young guys like Justin Fields and Daniel Jones still have plenty of unanswered questions around them.
The starting QBs in the NFC Playoffs last year were Hurts, Purdy, Cousins, Brady, Prescott, Jones, and Geno Smith and regardless of the tough season he had in 2023, Carr is as good or better than any of the guys who are still active. This is not to say that the Saints will be immediate Super Bowl contenders in the NFC but just like in the division there is a much more straightforward path to success than there is in the AFC.
At the very least there is a clear path for Carr and the Saints to make the playoffs and they were able to finish 7-10 last year despite the QB issues and Dennis Allen being in his first year as head coach. With some continuity at the top and if Carr is back to his solid best then the playoffs are the least of the Saints’ expectations in 2023.