Saints QB Derek Carr raises concern on possible changes to NFL offseason: "Coaches are going to be stressed out of their mind"
Tom Pelissero reported that the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) is eyeing to "overhaul the offeason" with the elimination of organized team activities (OTAs) and longer training camps. But Derek Carr has his concerns.
The New Orleans Saints quarterback appeared on the "Green Lights" podcast with Chris Long, where he discussed various topics, including the team's offseason and the impact of an offseason schedule change.
Carr said that the skill level of the players would go down because there would be less time for the younger players to learn. [From 11:30]
"I think the skill that it takes to play all of our positions would go down, because you have less time on task," Carr said. "As a quarterback, your timing, your rhythm, your accuracy, all of that in April isn't at its best. But you use these practices and these OTAs to get there."
Carr added:
"The NFL season is already long, and you're going to start it a month earlier, to me, I think for young guys, too, that would be hard. There's so much that the young players have to learn in my opinion... where I think OTAs are beneficial."
Carr mentioned that the offseason changes will impact the coaches in preparing the players.
"But just the skill it takes and the time on task, especially as coaches, they're going to be stressed out of their mind getting guys ready to play."
The NFLPA is proposing changes as soon as 2025, with a formal proposal expected in the summer.
Derek Carr and the Saints will look to fix the shortcomings of 2023
The first year under Derek Carr for the New Orleans Saints was filled with ups and downs. The team finished second in the NFC South with a 9-8 win-loss record and narrowly missed the playoffs. But Carr and the Saints will look to make amends in 2024.
The NFC South team, once again, has the easiest strength of schedule. But the NFL schedule makers didn't show mercy for Carr and his team in the first half of the year.
The Saints will take on the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and reigning Super Bowl champs, the Kansas City Chiefs, within the first five weeks of the 2024 season. The first half of their season is relatively harder than the second half.
The biggest concern will be how quickly the team can get acclimatized to the new offense under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. It was a lingering issue throughout the 2023 season. It will once again be a major focus heading into the 2024 season.