After months of hypothesis, Derek Carr has selected his subsequent NFL residence, and it’s not the vacation spot we’d been led to imagine it might possible land. No, Carr has not signed with the New York Jets. The previous Las Vegas/Oakland Raider has signed a long-term contract with the New Orleans Saints and is now the perfect quarterback within the NFC South.

Whereas this choice might show to be the suitable one, it definitely doesn’t really feel prefer it strikes the needle a lot. All of the discuss over the previous few weeks about Carr heading east to play with the Jets doubtlessly was thrilling because of the division. The QB matchups within the AFC East had been way more intriguing than what we might see within the NFC South.

Clearly, Carr’s achieved what’s in his greatest curiosity whereas selecting a well-recognized path. Saints head coach Dennis Allen was teaching the Raiders when Carr was drafted in 2014. So, there’s that familiarity even when they had been solely collectively briefly. Allen solely lasted 4 video games into the ’14 marketing campaign, his third in Oakland.

As an alternative of matchups like Carr vs. Josh Allen or Tua Tagovailoa, followers can stay up for Carr battling whoever the Panthers, Buccaneers, and Falcons throw on the sphere. This signing would imply rather more if Sean Payton had been nonetheless working the present in New Orleans. Positive, offensive coordinator, Pete Carmichael continues to be there, however by some means it simply doesn’t really feel the identical.

The excellent news for Saints followers is that you just now have the perfect QB within the division, even when by default. Each different workforce within the NFC South has questions on the place and might be seeking to the NFL draft for solutions. New Orleans nonetheless has a fairly good protection and has added a Professional Bowl QB to the combo. Something lower than a division crown and 9 wins in 2023 can be disappointing. Except one other workforce within the division can land Aaron Rodgers or Lamar Jackson, Carr and New Orleans needs to be on simple road this season.