Every summer The Athletic’s Mike Sando speaks with dozens of talent evaluators around the NFL to assemble the best-informed ranking of pro quarterbacks possible, a group which Sando says “includes eight general managers, 10 head coaches, 15 coordinators, 10 executives, four quarterbacks coaches and three involved in coaching/analytics.”
So where does New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr rank among his peers? Organizing the passers into tiers, Carr was slotted firmly in Tier 3, a group Sando describes as “a legitimate starter but needs a heavier running game and/or defensive component to win. A lower-volume dropback passing offense suits him best.” Sando’s sources around the league put Carr at No. 14 overall.
That’s in line with his salary as the 12th-highest paid quarterback in the league, though he’ll take a step back in those rankings once Joe Burrow puts pen to paper with the Cincinnati Bengals. In last year’s version of this project, Carr clocked in at No. 12, while Jameis Winston ranked halfway down the list at No. 24. Andy Dalton wasn’t ranked at all.
It’s a fair evaluation of Carr, though the Saints are hoping he’ll outperform those expectations. If he can just be an upgrade over the quarterbacks they’ve fielded post-Drew Brees, this should be a playoff team. If he can elevate the talent around them and be a legitimate asset, their ceiling might be even higher.
