Drew Brees Says Saints Are 'Well-Positioned to Make a Run' After Derek Carr Contract

Former New Orleans Saints star quarterback Drew Brees is confident that his old team is ready to make a run after signing ex-Las Vegas Raiders signal-caller Derek Carr to a four-year deal.

"I think he'll mesh well with (offensive coordinator) Pete Carmichael. I think he's got some weapons around him," Brees said after his Wednesday round at the Zurich Classic pro-am per Luke Johnson of The Advocate.

"I'm excited that Michael Thomas will be back and hopefully healthy — he deserves that. I think they're going to be well-positioned to make a run at it."

Carr was a four-time Pro Bowler during his nine NFL seasons with the Raiders, but the Silver and Black only made the playoffs twice during his tenure and never won a playoff game.

In fairness, the Raiders defense finished no higher than 20th in points allowed per game during any of Carr's seasons, and it ended dead last twice. Carr fared well individually but was tasked with carrying perhaps too heavy of a burden.

Per Johnson, Brees saw the lack of playoff success as more of a result of organizational dysfunction:

"I think he caught the brunt of that unfairly, and I think you shoulder a lot of that burden as the quarterback anyway. I think highly of him as a person. He's shown the ability to execute complicated offenses where a lot is put on the quarterback position to be able to make checks and make reads very quickly. He's proven that."

The Saints reside in an NFC South where no team finished with a winning record last year. The division is up for grabs, and adding Carr could very well make the difference. Brees believes it could be, citing how the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' addition of Tom Brady changed their fortunes.

"We've seen just what a difference one position can make on a team," Brees said. "Look at what (Tom) Brady did for the Bucs. Obviously they brought in a lot of great players along with him, but that can change the complexion of things very quickly."

The Saints certainly hope they find that same success as the Bucs, who won a Super Bowl during Brady's first year in town.

For now, Carr is hoping for brighter days in New Orleans as the Saints try to break their two-year dry spell outside the playoffs.