The New Orleans Saints continue to navigate life after the retirement of Drew Brees at the quarterback position, and they have now signed Derek Carr to a four-year deal.
What does this mean for Carr from a fantasy football standpoint? What does this mean for his receiving weapons in New Orleans?
Footballguys has you covered with our instant reaction.
Contract Terms
Carr received a four-year deal worth $150,000,000 with $100,000,000 in total guarantees.
Fantasy Football Impact
Carr had been rumored to land with other teams like the New York Jets and the Carolina Panthers, but the Saints apparently made quite an impression during his free-agent visits, and he determined that they were the best choice for the next phase of his career. It makes sense, too, when you consider that Dennis Allen was the head coach for Oakland in 2014 when the Raiders drafted Carr. They'll now be reunited.
From a fantasy standpoint for Carr, he's going to see a drop-off in weapons from his time in Las Vegas. The offensive line - on paper - is better than what he had during his tenure with the Raiders, but moving away from Davante Adams, Darren Waller, and Hunter Renfrow is going to hurt his fantasy outlook regardless. With that being said, New Orleans has plenty of quality receiving weapons that can take some of the pressure off of Carr - yet there are a ton of questions surrounding them.
Is Michael Thomas in town for 2023? Is Alvin Kamara going to be with the team with his salary situation and the potential suspension hanging over his head?
The answers to those questions will dramatically alter Carr's fantasy ceiling. For the time being, he should still be viewed as a decent QB2 in Dynasty Superflex leagues, and he'll have moments of being a streaming option in plus matchups from a redraft standpoint.
The big beneficiary here, though, with this signing is Chris Olave. After working with Andy Dalton in 2022 - and still putting up solid numbers - Olave will have a quarterback that will aim to push the ball further down the field a bit more and take advantage of his speed. According to Pro Football Focus, Carr had an ADOT (Average Depth of Target) of 9.7 last season. For context, Dalton had an ADOT of 8.4. We could see some big-time plays from Olave in 2023 and beyond. He's moving up the rankings with this transaction.
Fantasy football fallout
Due to Carr already being on the free agent market, there is not much to break down from the Las Vegas side of things here. They're still waiting for a quarterback to replace Carr, and fantasy managers of Adams, Renfrow, and Waller have to be hoping that the answer is Aaron Rodgers.
Stock Watch
With this landing spot, Carr's fantasy stock takes a slight hit simply due to the drop-off in receiving weapons.
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