Derek Carr backup plans: 1 trade, 1 free agent and 1 pick for the Saints
By Josh Wilson
One signing the Saints could pull off as backup plan to Derek Carr: Jimmy Garoppolo
Yesterday, my colleague John Buhler described Jimmy Garoppolo perfectly: “A high-end, stop-gap starter to bridge to a new era.” New Orleans could use that.
Garoppolo is not the sexy signing that Saints fans might be hoping for, but let’s be honest, Carr wasn’t a super attractive option either. He was simply adequate compared to what the Saints have had in recent seasons.
Why was Carr in play? Because the Saints simply need a quarterback that won’t be actively bad in New Orleans. They have great talent on both sides of the ball, and whatever quarterback comes into New Orleans will get to throw to Chris Olave, Juwan Johnson, Alvin Kamara, Tre’Quan Smith, and surprise breakout rookie from 2022 Rashid Shaheed.
Plus, Michael Thomas might not be done with the Saints? It’s hard to say, exactly.
A mediocre game manager actually would work in New Orleans’ favor and keep them in the playoff hunt until they find their next franchise quarterback.