In what will surely end up being a weekly series sooner or later, it's time to [cues audience] Check In On Derek Carr!
Carr's first season as New Orleans' franchise QB didn't go super well, to the point that there was already talk of replacing him after last year's 9-8 campaign. He still has three years left on his deal – with two of those coming with cap hits over $50 million – so that talk is really more wishful thinking than it is serious analysis, but it's out there! You can find it if that's something you really want to willingly do to yourself.
It also didn't help that the Saints took Spencer Rattler in this last year's draft. After almost a decade of using the backup QB position to keep a reliable vet on the team, the team's decision to make that position more of a developmental one spoke volumes about where the front office sees this roster heading over the next few years. It doesn't look good for ol' friend Derek.
The Spencer Rattler hype machine is fully operational
On top of all that, we've now got Rattler leading game-winning drives. It took Saints fans all of one game, that doesn't even count, to let their imagination run wild. His two-minute drill against the Arizona Cardinals on August 10th will go down in infamy.
Saints fans after seeing Spencer Rattler in just 1 preseason game pic.twitter.com/Z3CopIljFk
— Chris Rosvoglou (@RosvoglouReport) August 11, 2024
Spencer Rattler coming into the gamepic.twitter.com/mpUcJz3kWB
— Jono Barnes (@JonoBarnes) August 11, 2024
Spencer Rattler grabbed the front page headlines…..#Saints pic.twitter.com/mQeddx3c6M
— Rod Walker (@RodWalkerNola) August 11, 2024
Granted, there's only so much hype that a 9-17, 107 yard performance can drum up, but this one milked it for every last drop. You would be shocked to see how many tweets show up when you search 'Spencer Rattler Super Bowl' on Twitter. And maybe shocked isn't the right word, but there's a lot. Too many, even.
But that's the glory of preseason: the Saints' third string quarterback had a meh game and is stil being talked about as the franchise savior. Maybe New Orleans can trade Carr back! That way, everyone wins: Carr gets to return to his beloved franchise, who won't have to pay him nearly as much as they would have a few years ago, and Davante Adams stops listening to Aaron Rodgers. A+ results for everyone.