Bettors Believe in New Orleans Saints After Signing Derek Carr

Image ©Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Author:

Ty Bronicel

Updated:

March 6th 2023

Published:

March 6th 2023 - 06:11 PM

Let’s start with a few facts about my fondness for the greatest city in America – Chicago, sorry, but you’re second. I’m talking about ‘Nawlins, babies.

The kindest, coolest people on the planet, with great vibes, music and food to boot.

I loved the place so much that I upped and moved there once.

Spent a great year of my life in the Crescent City. I fell head over heels – literally maybe two times, OK? – as me, my brother and other non-FOX-watching family and friends joined us at Jazz Fest.

So, easy there, big boy, you’re saying. Here’s the deal: I became a Saints fan many, many Crescent City moons before that. The culmination was the Drew Brees/Sean Payton-led Super Bowl upset win over the Colts in 2010.

Who Dat? Nation is hoping the Saints’ Black and Gold brass have found the next SB-ring winner by signing former Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr to a reported four-year $150 million-dollar deal.

Will that shiny expensive Carr be worth it? No. Cars never are – and you don’t need Paulina Porizkova to tell you that.

But what if he pans out? Carr is only 31 (he’ll be 32 on March 28) and Brees was 27 and on the verge of 28 when he joined the Saints.

So New Orleans may think it can catch lightning in a bottle, in a voodoo city full of creative, cultural minds. Perhaps it works again down in the Bayou.

Carr reunites with Saints head coach Dennis Allen, who started him as a rookie with the Raiders in 2014.

"I had the opportunity to work with Derek at the start of his professional football career," Allen said in a statement. "In addition to his talent, I admired his approach to the game, work ethic and commitment to get better every day in what were the formative stages of his career. From afar and when we played him as an opponent, I saw Derek’s development into one of the most productive quarterbacks in the National Football League."

"Derek is an outstanding addition to the New Orleans Saints and I can’t wait to get working with him and the rest of our team this offseason."

Carr played nine seasons for the Raiders and holds franchise records for yards passing (35,222) and touchdown passes (217), but he never won a playoff game in his one and only start.

However, Brees took a bit to get going in the NFL. After a so-so career in San Diego with the Chargers, he finally ended up in New Orleans but even then he struggled and improved and then became an all-time Hall-of-Fame great with this extraordinary performance.

What does it all mean for the Saints?

Well, they’re suddenly favored to win the NFC South, which should be an easy task this season, all things considered.

The odds I’m about to present to you are from FanDuel Sportsbook, just one of the many great gambling sites available throughout the U.S., including BetMGM Sportsbook and many more.

Here’s why you should – as others already have – jump on this bet:

NFC South Winner 2023-24

New Orleans Saints +120

Carolina Panthers +260

Tampa Bay Buccaneers +450

Atlanta Falcons +450

Here’s why you jump on the Saints bandwagon today – to at least win the NFC South. And that’s what we’re concentrating on.

New Orleans has the second-easiest 2023 schedule based on opponents’ records in 2022.

All three of the other NFC South teams have serious question marks at QB.

As ESPN’s Adam Schefter points out here.

Carr is gonna find wide receiver Chris Olave often – who’s about to make a Justin Jefferson-type leap (yup, CO is moving on up) – as he becomes one of the top wideouts in the league.

This is also why I like this bet: