Jon Gruden Lends a Helping Hand to NFC South Foe

Gruden makes a surprise return (sort of) to the NFL.

The New Orleans Saints are working in a new starting quarterback this season as the veteran Derek Carr comes over from Las Vegas to take the reins of the offense. 

Carr brought a friend along with him from Vegas as his former head coach, Jon Gruden, is spending time in New Orleans helping install the offense, according to Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com.

"I'm used to that family of offense," Carr said, via NOLA.com. "It's all the same drawing, but different words. ... It's just different words mean different things."

The Saints run a version of the West Coast offense which is something that Carr is already familiar with. Gruden has used many variations of the West Coast offense throughout his coaching career and with his past with Carr, it should make the transition for the 32-year-old quarterback a smooth one. 

The Panthers met with Carr during the NFL Combine in Indianapolis before landing the No. 1 pick via a trade with the Chicago Bears.

"Derek is an excellent leader," head coach Frank Reich said. "He's an excellent passer. He's very accomplished. He checks a lot of boxes that you're looking for in a quarterback. There's no question. That's why he is where he is at this point in his career. And the opportunity, it's a unique opportunity to talk to someone of that caliber. As a player and as a person, so we didn't take that for granted."

Now that Tom Brady is officially retired (we think), Carr is widely viewed as the best quarterback in the NFC South heading into the 2023 season.

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