4 reasons to get super excited for New Orleans Saints training camp

1. Derek Carr makes the Saints favorites in the NFC South

It's hard to win in the NFL without a quarterback. The Saints know this since they went decades without putting up winning seasons before turning into a powerhouse under Drew Brees. For 15 seasons, Brees was under center and they went 142-86 with a Super Bowl win during that span.

Then, as noted earlier, they struggled to a 9-8 finish without him followed by a 7-10 mark in 2022. Now in 2023, they again have a quarterback they believe in — Derek Carr.

The former Las Vegas Raiders starter signed a four-year deal worth $150 million which reunites him with Dennis Allen. The two spent one year together back in 2014 when Carr was a rookie and Allen was in his final season as the Raiders head coach.

Carr, who spent nine years with the Raiders has more than his share of critics. Those critics often look at just his record, which was just 63-79. They don't pay attention to the fact that there's been very little stability and talent around him.

Even with the issues he's dealt with, Carr led the Raiders to two double-digit winning seasons and topped the 4,000-yard mark in four consecutive seasons. That streak was snapped in 2022 when he had 3,522 yards in 15 games under Josh McDaniel, who has never been incredibly easy to work with.

In New Orleans, he has a chance to redeem himself while playing with a young speedster in Chris Olave. Making matters even better, the Saints are also in one of the worst divisions in the NFC.

That means Carr should have no problem putting up some impressive numbers, which should be enough to get any fan excited.