They addressed the position six weeks ago by signing Derek Carr in free agency, a move that at least for now gives the Saints the lead in the NFC South quarterback race. Carr is the most seasoned quarterback in a division where the other projected starters now are Young, Baker Mayfield (Buccaneers) and Desmond Ridder (Falcons).
Carr, who spent his entire career with the Raiders organization before signing with the Saints, is the only one on that list with a Pro Bowl on his resume. He has been named to four of them. His nine years of NFL experience is more than Mayfield (five), Ridder (one) and Young (zero) combined. Because of that, the Saints should still be pegged as the division favorites.
“We like our quarterback room,” Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said Wednesday on the eve of the draft. “We love having Derek here and we are excited about seeing how that unfolds.”
The Panthers probably aren’t too far behind the Saints as far as being the division favorite, especially if Young’s college success translates to the NFL. It’s the reason Carolina made the leap to go get him, drafting a quarterback in the first round for the third time in the franchise’s 29-year history.
The Saints haven’t drafted a quarterback in the first round since taking Archie Manning with the second overall pick in 1971. Loomis, who took over as Saints general manager in 2002, hasn’t really had to.
“We had 15 years of Drew Brees,” Loomis said. “That’s like gold. Holy cow. When you don’t have that guy that is proven and elite in the NFL, it’s uneasy. It’s hard to have success without a signal caller.”
Now, everyone in the division has theirs in what has been a changing of the guard over the past 12 months.
The Falcons drafted Ridder in 2022.
The Saints signed Carr to a four-year deal March 6.
The Bucs signed Mayfield to a one-year deal 10 days later.
On Thursday night, the Panthers drafted Young.
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