Key Raiders connection led Derek Carr to New Orleans Saints
By John Buhler
An obvious Las Vegas Raiders connection is bringing Derek Carr to the New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints seem to be on the verge of winning the Derek Carr sweepstakes, thanks to a strong connection between the Las Vegas Raiders’ former starting quarterback and his former head coach in Oakland.
Dennis Allen may have had an up-and-down first year leading the Saints, but he was Carr’s first professional head coach with the Silver and Black. It may have gone to hell in a hand basket fairly quickly for Allen after Carr was drafted, but the strong connection remains. Carr could have been traded to the Saints, but by potentially signing with them in free agency, the Saints retain assets.
Carr still needs to put pen to paper, but the Saints fit for him has always been at the top of the list.
He will be going from an AFC West where he was at best the third-best quarterback to an NFC South where he indisputably the best starter at the position at this very instant. Good for him!
Derek Carr drawn to the New Orleans Saints because of head coach Dennis Allen
Allen may be more of a defensive-minded head coach, but he seems to have an eye for talent on the offensive side of the ball. Had Carr’s last name been pretty much anything else, he would have been a first-round pick coming out of Fresno State. Being the much younger brother of former Houston Texans bust David Carr was something he had to overcome during his Raiders tenure.
Should Carr sign with the Saints, they go from a middling .500 team to a club back in pole position of a terrible NFC South division. While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers look to be a sinking ship in the wake of Tom Brady’s second retirement, the Carolina Panthers are trending up under new head coach Frank Reich, as well as the arch rival Atlanta Falcons who finally have cap space to utilize.
Ultimately, you cannot deny what a great fit this is for Carr and the Saints. It will probably work out for both parties stupendously. Then again, we saw how big of a disaster the Russell Wilson trade was right out of the gate for the Denver Broncos last year. At least Mr. Unlimited has former Saints head coach Sean Payton to thrust him in advantageous situations to succeed now in his mid-30s.
Believe it or not, Carr linking up with the Saints is a total game-changer in-division and in the NFC.