Quarterback Derek Carr is entering his second year with the New Orleans Saints and he says there is already a massive difference between where the team was in 2023 and where it stands now. The Saints finished 9-8 last year, narrowly missing the playoffs and the NFC South title, behind the 9-8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who had the edge in the tiebreaker.
New Orleans finished out the year strong, winning four of its last five games, and is looking to keep up that momentum heading into this year. Carr believes the team has a solid foundation and has improved significantly from where it was at this point last season.
"Coming into this year, we're just trying to build off of what we had last year," Carr said. "The relationships, the bonds, the unity, the time we spend together. I felt like coming into this offseason, compared to last offseason, we're 10 times farther ahead of where we were."
The 33-year-old continued, saying he feels the entire team has made a step forward and has proven it can get through "a lot of different adversities."
"And I mean that as a team, as a group, as a unit. The bonds that we have," Carr said. "It's the ultimate team sport and that's the most important thing is the team. So we're stepping into this year trying to build off how last year ended."
The Saints have the least difficult strength of schedule, tied with the Atlanta Falcons, so their road to a winning record, and maybe even a playoff appearance, will be easier for them than some other squads. They open their season at home against the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 8.
New Orleans currently has the third-best odds to win its division (+425), ahead of only the Panthers, who had the worst record in the league last season.
