The biggest this offseason for the New Orleans Saints was what direction were they going to go at the quarterback position.

New Orleans made it clear that free agent Derek Carr, who spent his first nine seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders, was the guy they wanted to lead the franchise going forward. 

On Monday, the Saints got their man as they signed Carr to a four-year deal. Now, with Tom Brady of the Tampa Buccaneers retiring from the NFL after 23 seasons, the Saints have the best quarterback in the NFC South.

The Atlanta Falcons recently released Marcus Mariota. With the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Buccaneers needing new quarterbacks as well, likely in the NFL draft, Carr is the top dog at the position in the division until further notice. 

The Saints were slightly below average offensively in 2022, ranking 19th overall. Carr can certainly help improve that aspect.

Carr was tied for fourth in average depth per target for quarterbacks with at least 200 attempts. So, the Saints should look to take chances going downfield in the passing game in 2023, especially with the weapons they have on the roster.

Wide receiver Chris Olave went over 1,000 yards as a rookie last season. Rashid Shaheed, who went undrafted in 2022, showed promise with 488 yards and two touchdowns in the twelve games he played in.

Veteran Michael Thomas is the wildcard here. He could be released this offseason after lackluster production the last three seasons due to a multitude of injuries. However, now that Carr is on board, the Saints may entertain keeping him in hopes of getting a healthy campaign from the two-time All-Pro. 

If that were to be the case, Carr would have quite a bit to work with especially when factoring in running back Alvin Kamara who has averaged over 600 yards receiving per season in his career. However, his availability may be affected if his legal troubles boil over into him receiving discipline from the NFL.

Carr will need all the parts around him to be available to get the Saints' offense to the next level. If so, it could be a difficult unit to stop.

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports