Derek Carr Is Now A Saint – How Does It Impact Bucs?

Outside of Aaron Rodgers and whatever his decision will be following his darkness retreat, Carr was the biggest known commodity available at quarterback. The Bucs were never in the running for Carr as he was out of their price range, but it doesn’t help that he’s in the division and they’ll play him twice a season. Tampa Bay is currently $56 million over the salary cap with roster cuts already expected to be made, so Carr wasn’t much of an option even if they wanted him.

How Much Will Derek Carr Help The Saints?

We’ve long said on various episodes of the Pewter Report Podcast that whichever team has the best quarterback, or better yet, the best quarterback play in the division could be the leader. Carr brings a ton of experience to New Orleans. He’s a nine-year veteran that’s passed for 35,222 yards with 217 touchdowns and 99 interceptions. Carr has thrown over 4,000 yards in four of the last five seasons and under 500 yards away from doing it last season where he played in 15 games. He is a durable quarterback and is known to be a good leader on and off the field.

With all that said, there’s a reason why Carr was benched by the Raiders for the last two games and was then cut in the offseason. He is coming off of a down season where he threw 14 interceptions in 15 games and had a completion percentage of 60.8, which was the lowest since his rookie season. His overall career record of 63-79 doesn’t scream “must have” either.

Carr also had a fair share of offensive weapons in Las Vegas. While Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller was limited to nine games, Carr was reunited with his Fresno State teammate Davante Adams and had the NFL’s rushing leader Josh Jacobs in the backfield. That was more than enough talent to build a successful offense and it’ll be more than what he has with the Saints.

While the Bucs have their questions at quarterback, they know what they have at wide receiver with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and at running back, as Rachaad White takes the role as the starter. The Saints have to answer their own questions at those positions.

New Orleans does have up-and-coming wide receiver Chris Olave, who’s coming off of a solid rookie year. Outside of that, though, the talent level drops off. Michael Thomas was formerly their starting wide receiver, but he’s played in 10 games over the last three years and is not the player he was when he led the league in receiving yards.

The main driving force for the Saints offense for years was Alvin Kamara, and his availability for the beginning of the season is unknown. Kamara is pleading not guilty to felony battery charges stemming from an incident in February during the week of the Pro Bowl in Las Vegas. There is a chance he could go to trial at the end of July and also a likely possibility that he receives a suspension from the league.

If Kamara misses time, it no question hurts what New Orleans likes to do offensively. He’s also 27, which overall is young, but fairly older for a running back with a lot of tread on the tires.

So, ask yourself, from an offensive standpoint – is Carr going into a better situation with the Saints now than what he had with the Raiders?

NFC South QB Outlook

Where the Saints do have an advantage over their division counterparts is on paper they still have the best quarterback. Looking at the other three teams, there are a lot of young but very unproven QBs. The Bucs are rolling with Kyle Trask for the time being, mostly because he’s the only quarterback on the roster.

Trask is heading into this third year and has only been the third string quarterback. He got his first taste of NFL action during Week 18 halfway through the fourth quarter against the Falcons. Trask completed 3-of-9 passes for 23 yards in an underwhelming performance.

The Falcons experimented with Marcus Mariota as their starter last season but then rolled it over to rookie third-round pick Desmond Ridder for the last four games. Ridder posted a 2-2 record, throwing for 708 yards and two touchdowns, no interceptions with a completion percentage of 63.5%. Whether he’s their starter for the long haul remains to be seen.

Lastly, the Carolina Panthers also have a rookie with former Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral. He was drafted in the third round but suffered a lisfranc injury that put him out for the entire season. Carolina’s biggest move was hiring Frank Reich as their head coach, who has gotten a lot out of his quarterbacks in previous coaching ventures.

A lot could change come free agency on March 15, and especially after the draft in late April. The Bucs need to add at least two more quarterbacks, with one expected to be an inexpensive veteran option. Atlanta and Carolina own the eighth and ninth picks, respectively, and each may decide to take a quarterback if Florida’s Anthony Richardson or Kentucky’s Will Levis is available. There’s also a possibility that they trade up to get either of them or go after Alabama’s Bryce Young or Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud.

With Carr as the only quarterback with real experience, it’s difficult to argue that the Saints aren’t at least in the top two in the division. The Bucs have a lot of players heading into free agency, but they still have plenty of talent on the roster under contract to compete. If Tampa Bay gets enough out of the quarterback position they can be in the playoff hunt once again. And if the Falcons and Panthers make the right choice at QB over the next two months, it could leave the battle for the division more open than many believe it will be.