The New Orleans Saints pulled off quite a blockbuster move before the start of this year’s free agency period, as they came to terms with Derek Carr on a reported four-year, $150 million deal in March. The veteran quarterback will receive $60 million in the first two years of his contract.
Drew Brees is a fan of his former team’s call to sign Carr to a four-year deal. Brees took some time at the Zurich Classic on Wednesday to offer his stamp of approval to the Saints' Carr signing.
“I think it’s a great move for him and the organization,” Brees said. “I've always had a lot of respect for him. I always thought he was a fairly underrated player, probably didn't get the respect that he deserved. Obviously, he was in a tough situation there with the Raiders based on a lot of the things that have happened there over the last few years. He kind of caught of the brunt of that, unfairly. I think you shoulder a lot of that burden as a quarterback anyway.
“So, I think highly of him as a person. He's shown the ability to execute complicated offenses, where a lot is put on the quarterback position, to be able to make checks and to make reads very quickly.”
Carr is set to feature under Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael in the 2023 season. In the big picture, Brees believes that the four-time Pro Bowler has what it takes to succeed in the Carmichael-led Saints offense.
“I think he will mesh well with Pete Carmichael,” Brees said. “I think he's got some weapons around him. I am excited Michael Thomas is gonna be back and hopefully healthy, he deserves that. Look, I think they will be well-positioned to make a run at it.”
Carr touched base with Brees before he put pen to paper on the multiyear contract with the Saints. He said during his introductory press conference with the Saints that “a lot of what he said is probably why I’m sitting here today.”
Carr is coming off of a nine-season run with the Las Vegas Raiders where he set franchise records in multiple stats, including touchdown passes (217).
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