Saints news: Derek Carr rumors, former NOLA players are thriving, and more

The New Orleans Saints have been named as a potential suitor for Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr this offseason.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Saints, Washington Commanders, and New York Jets are considered the top landing spots for Carr in 2023.

Carr experienced one of the most disappointing seasons of his career in Las Vegas as the Raiders missed the playoffs and finished with an abysmal 6-11 record. The 31-year-old ranked 24th among qualified quarterbacks based on passer rating, though Carr would still pose as a major upgrade for teams like the Saints and Jets.

Saints fans would likely prefer Carr to their current options, Andy Dalton and Jameis Winston, but until more definitive news comes out on Carr's future, everything is just smoke and mirrors.

Here's what's trending in Saints news around the web

21 former Saints players competing in divisional round playoff games (John Sigler, Saints Wire)

The Saints couldn't qualify for the playoffs this season, but many former NOLA players still made it to the big stage.

A few notable names: Eli Apple and Trey Hendrickson on the Cincinnati Bengals, Brett Maher on the Dallas Cowboys, C.J. Gardner Johnson and Ian Book on the Philadelphia Eagles, and Nick Vannett on the New York Giants.

Sean Payton disses Falcons ahead of AFC Championship game (John Sigler, Saints Wire)

You can take Sean Payton out of the Saints, but you can't take the Saints out of Sean Payton.

The former head coach joined the Sunday Night Football pregame show on Fox Sports and cracked a few jokes at Atlanta's expense. Following the Damar Hamlin incident, the NFL was preparing to schedule a potential Bills-Chiefs AFC Championship game at a neutral site, specifically the Atlanta Falcons' stadium.

Cincinnati ended up pounding the Bills on the road, which means the Falcons won't host a playoff game after all. Payton couldn't help but slip in a slide dig at Atlanta for "missing" the playoffs again.