Drew Brees publicly goes against Mickey Loomis's wishes for new OC

A whole lot needs to change in New Orleans, because the Saints organization feels fractured within its walls. There are concerns about a locker room overhaul, which could include the trade of star cornerback Marshon Lattimore, and lingering question marks regarding the way the offense is run after the merciful termination of offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael.

For better or for worse, the Saints are probably going to be stuck with Derek Carr at quarterback in 2024. NFL fans have seen Carr play at a high - if not MVP-caliber - level in the past, but as his 2023 performances showed the Saints, there's a reason why the Las Vegas Raiders were never 100 percent sold on him. Carr doesn't inspire confidence in every game, he's streaky, and he seems to have a limited ceiling against top opponents.

The best person to weigh in on what Carr needs - at least around the Saints organization - has to be legendary quarterback Drew Brees, literally one of the greatest of all time. Brees' signing transformed New Orleans from one of the worst franchises in the NFL to one of the best, with the QB eventually winning a ring in an unforgettable 2009 campaign.

Drew Brees thinks Derek Carr should help pick the OC

While speaking with New Orleans.Football, Brees says he's of the opinion that Carr needs to have a say in who runs the offense next as coordinator, which seems to be a sensible sentiment to express. The quarterback/offensive coordinator relationship is so important that it can be make-or-break, and the Saints need a strong presence in the coordinator role.

"You want to have a system that fits your quarterback," said Brees. "If you're building this thing around Derek Carr, he has to have input, he has to. Or, at least, you're choosing an offensive coordinator or an offensive system based on his strengths and what he does really well, and then you're building that team around him in that way. Just like defensively you're going to take a look at what you have and you're going to build a defensive structure based on the personnel."

That sounds reasonable, except the funny thing is that Saints GM Mickey Loomis seemed to indicate the opposite, remarking that the franchise doesn't ask players to make decisions of that magnitude. That, and he won't seek input from Carr for their next offensive coordinator hire.

"We don't ask our players to make decisions. We don't. That's not a burden that we put on them," Loomis said, h/t ESPN. "Now we talk to a lot of our veteran players about the season, about the things that we expect from them, and they should certainly have expectations from us, but we're not asking them to do any evaluations of any kind."

Loomis appears prepared to take a my-way-or-the-highway approach with the entire organization this offseason, whether it's the roster itself or the coaching staff. The thing is, if Carr doesn't have input, the Saints could be doomed to another mediocre season. Carr is a little particular about who he likes to work with and what he likes to do. Trust is a big thing for him. If he gets trust from the coaches and the franchise as a whole, he can deliver in a big way. But if not, the Saints could be headed for the exact same discussions in 2025, wasting another season in the process.