There won’t be any second line parades in the streets of New Orleans on Monday celebrating the Saints’ signing of veteran quarterback Derek Carr.
And Saints’ fans probably aren’t doing Google searches to see how quickly they can order a Carr jersey.
The acquisition of the veteran quarterback who has played all nine season with the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders, probably won’t generate that type of buzz.
But if you’re a Saints’ fan, you should rejoice in this: the Saints got better Monday.
At the time I’m writing this, your team now has the best quarterback in the NFC South.
That could change, of course, depending on what the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers do in a division whose quarterbacks look nothing like they did just a few years ago.
For now though, the Saints getting Carr to agree to a 4-year deal gives them an early lead over the other teams in a division where everybody is scrambling to find their quarterback.
Remember the days when the NFC South had quarterbacks like Drew Brees, Cam Newton, Matt Ryan and Tom Brady?
Well, those days officially came to an end after Brady’s recent retirement.
That lack of star power at the position in a quarterback driven league is the reason no team in the division finished with a record above .500 this past season. The Bucs went 8-9 to win the division and then had a quick playoff exit that sent Brady off into the sunset and leaving the cupboard pretty bare at quarterback in the division.
The Saints now have their man. Carr leaves the star-studded AFC West where he was the third best quarterback and immediately is the best in his new home.
No, Carr isn’t Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson or Justin Burrow or any of the other caliber of names that would have had the city partying Monday like it’s Mardi Gras all over again. But he is no doubt one of the best quarterbacks on the market this offseason.
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