Does signing Derek Carr make the New Orleans Saints a contender?

NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Saints started 2023 free agency by addressing their biggest need with an agreement to sign former Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.

The anticipated signing marks one of the biggest moves for Saints coach Dennis Allen going into Year 2 and reunites him with the quarterback he drafted while with the Raiders organization in 2014. Here's what the move means for the Saints and their offense, and how it could be the first domino of several likely to come, including what the team does with quarterback Jameis Winston and wide receiver Michael Thomas.

The offense has struggled to find its footing since quarterback Drew Brees retired after the 2020 season. The Saints plummeted from a top-five scoring offense in 2020 to 19th in the past two years. The Saints haven't been able to find the long-term answer in Winston, Taysom Hill or Andy Dalton, and they probably weren't going to find it with the 29th pick of the draft in April. The Saints clearly saw an opportunity to get one of the top quarterbacks on the market and Carr's familiarity with Allen helps. Now that the Saints have a quarterback, they can focus on adding other offensive players in the draft.

Carr has always said positive things about Allen, who drafted him and coached him before he was fired as head coach of the Raiders four games into the 2014 season.

"[Allen] and I have a great relationship still to this day," Carr said prior to the Saints' game against the Raiders last season. «And I still talk to him and things like that — obviously not this week and all those things, but we've always kept in contact, we've always been close. I love him, I loved having him.» — Katherine Terrell

This likely signals the end of Winston's time with