The New Orleans Saints' pursuit of Derek Carr has continued, and the latest meeting took place at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
And if there was any question before, it's been answered. The Saints look to be all-in on trying to bring Carr in as a free agent. But there's a bigger question, as explained this week on SportsTalk by Bobby Hebert.
“It’s wide open, so it’ll be interesting to see," Hebert said. "I think the Saints want Derek Carr, but does Derek Carr want the Saints?”
Listen to the full conversation with Bobby Hebert and Mike Detillier in the play above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
The Saints' interest in the former Raiders QB was projected clearly when Carr went on a visit to New Orleans ahead of a potential trade. Carr ultimately exercised his no-trade clause and is now a free agent. The interest remains, based on comments from Mickey Loomis and Dennis Allen this week, but now the competition exists. Carr had already visited with the Jets and was expected to meet again with them this week, and he also had designs on meeting with the Carolina Panthers, another team with both feet in the QB market after the hiring of new head coach Frank Reich.
The next question will be just how many teams get involved, and whether a bidding war drives Carr's potential salary up into the range of $35 million per season that he is reportedly seeking. That's where the most difficulty could come for the Saints, considering the Panthers and Jets retain far more salary cap flexibility.
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“What’s a bunch of BS to is you hear like ‘what’s the right fit and the right feel,’ and money’s not talked about," Hebert continues. "Money’s always talked about without talking about the money. You can say, ‘oh, I want to see if it’s the right fit.’ Derek Carr doesn’t have to talk about money. You’ve got people to do that for you.”
But if it doesn't work out? The options drop off quickly. Jameis Winston remains under contract, but he was bypassed on the depth chart by Andy Dalton midway through 2022 and that relationship continuing feels unlikely at best. So who else might be out there? One option could be Baker Mayfield, who was projected to land with the Saints recently by ESPN's Field Yates. He also projected the Falcons to stick with Desmond Ridder, Carr to land with the Panthers and the Bucs to go with Kyle Trask.
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If that ends up being the case, Hebert says he expects it to land in a scenario similarly to the Falcons last year. Atlanta started veteran Marcus Mariota for 14 weeks before turning to the third-round rookie Ridder for the final four games. That debut start actually came in the Caesars Superdome, a game the Saints won 21-18 while holding Ridder to 97 yards passing.
The Saints would be able to bring Mayfield in at a bargain price (likely somewhere in the $6-10 million range) and draft a QB they can mold as the future starter (say, Tennessee's Hendon Hooker, for example).
“I would say that they feel, with a Baker Mayfield or a young guy even playing at the end, could we play well enough to maybe win the NFC South and to be a playoff team? Maybe," Hebert said. "But as far as us actually doing something. We could have hope to be a playoff team, but to actually be relevant? I think if they get Baker Mayfield, they’re definitely looking beyond 2023.”
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