On Saturday morning, Derek Carr signed his contract with the New Orleans Saints for 4 years, $150 million with $100 million guaranteed.
Carr, a four-time Pro Bowler released by the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason, started all 142 regular-season games he played in for the Raiders, setting franchise records for completions (3,201), attempts (4,958), completion percentage (64.6), passing yards (35,222), and touchdowns (217) with 99 interceptions.
In 2022, the nine-year veteran completed 305 of 502 passes for 3,522 yards and 24 touchdowns with 14 interceptions. Carr was selected to play in the Pro Bowl from 2015-2017 and again in 2022 and has never thrown more than 14 interceptions in a season.
“A lot of what he (Drew Brees) said is probably why I’m sitting here today,” said Carr about his discussions with Brees prior to signing with the Saints. “You can tell he’s a genuine, so a lot of what he had to say was going to carry weight with me.”
Carr also used Saturday’s introductory press conference at the Ochsner Media Center in Metairie to express his thanks to the team’s owner, Gayle Benson, as well as the front office, personnel, coaches, and future players too.
He even expressed his friendship with Pro-Bowl wide receiver Michael Thomas, who is currently evaluating whether to restructure his contract or not.
“First time I talked to him on the phone, I didn’t think he wanted me to get off the phone,” Carr said, smiling. “I really enjoyed talking to him. I told (General Manager) Mickey Loomis, ‘You talk to Mike Thomas and feel like you two could go out there and face the world.'”
Thomas verbally agreed to a contract restructure with New Orleans back in January, according to ESPN. The former All-Pro wideout is set to have his 2023 salary reduced from $15.5 million to $1.165 million dollars while adding a $31.755 million roster bonus for the 2024 league year that will become fully guaranteed on March 17 if the agreement is reached.
Shortly following the press conference, the Saints also agreed to a two-year extension with tight end Juwan Johnson, which was announced by his agent, AJ Vaynerchuck at Vayner Sports.
Johnson broke out having a great season as the Saints’ best red-zone scoring threat, catching seven touchdown passes in 2022.
