Brees: Saints 'well-positioned to make a run at it' with Carr
Drew Brees knows a thing or two about what it takes to succeed as the quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, and he believes Derek Carr is the right player to solve the franchise's biggest issue this season.
"I think he'll mesh well with (offensive coordinator) Pete Carmichael. I think he's got some weapons around him," Brees recently said, according to Luke Johnson of The Advocate. "I'm excited that (receiver) 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 Saints, who've started five different quarterbacks over the last two seasons, have struggled at the position since Brees retired at the end of the 2020 campaign. Brees, a 13-time Pro Bowler, helped New Orleans win a Super Bowl title and is the franchise's all-time passing leader.
Carr spent his first nine NFL seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders, who released the four-time Pro Bowler this offseason following a disappointing 2022 season. The Carr-led Raiders entered last year with high expectations but missed the playoffs with the signal-caller tossing 14 interceptions in 15 games. The 32-year-old left the team with a 63-79 regular-season record and only two playoff appearances.
But Brees said he's optimistic that a change of scenery will help Carr - who joined New Orleans on a four-year, $150-million deal - put his game back on the right track.
"He caught the brunt of that unfairly, and I think you shoulder a lot of that burden as the quarterback anyway," Brees said. "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."
In New Orleans, Carr joins a team that boasted a top-10 defense last year and rosters one of the NFL's best young pass-catchers in Chris Olave. The 11th overall pick in 2022, Olave finished his rookie season with 72 catches for 1,042 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
The Saints' wide receiver depth chart is also headlined by Thomas, who's made only 10 regular-season appearances since being named Offensive Player of the Year in 2019.