Derek Carr vote of confidence proves Saints really should’ve cleaned house

Despite missing the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season, Mickey Loomis remains optimistic about what the future holds for the New Orleans Saints. More specifically, the team's longtime executive vice president/general manager still believes in their ability to compete with veteran quarterback Derek Carr.

During his end-of-season press conference, Loomis expressed a "high level of confidence" in Carr and New Orleans' chances of righting the ship quickly. Why is the front office leader so convinced the signal-caller and the Saints can turn things in short order, you may ask? We're not entirely sure. Nevertheless, it speaks to the bleak situation in the Big Easy having no end in sight.

Loomis' glowing affirmation of Carr highlights the former's unwillingness to embrace a long overdue rebuild in New Orleans. And frankly, it's why the Saints' offseason search for a head coach should've extended to upper management.

Derek Carr's vote of confidence proves the Saints really should’ve cleaned house, including GM Mickey Loomis

Firing Dennis Allen ostensibly wasn't enough. Loomis should've been next on the chopping block, considering his perenially "glass half-full" perspective has put the Saints in an unenviable position.

Even after Carr and the Saints finished 5-12 following their shockingly impressive 2-0 beginning to the 2024 NFL campaign, Loomis is bizarrely keeping the faith. The latter is giving the four-time Pro Bowl passer and Co. the benefit of the doubt after injuries derailed their hot start:

"When you don't have your top two receivers ... that special weapon in Taysom Hill ... the middle portion of our offensive line and we have a rookie left tackle, there are some tough circumstances for a quarterback. So, I think [Carr has] done a lot of good things."

- Mickey Loomis, New Orleans Saints

To some degree, Loomis is right. Carr faced less-than-ideal conditions in Year 2 with New Orleans. But be that as it may, the league's best quarterbacks overcome obstacles and uplift the rest of the squad. Clinging to excuses leads to complacency and mediocrity, which has played out for the Saints.

As the longest-tenured non-owner general manager in the league, Loomis has had a longer leash than virtually every exec. But his stance on Carr and the state of the Saints shows why the organization may have been better off going in a different direction.