New Orleans Saints 2023 Future Odds: Super Bowl, Conference, Division, Regular Season Wins and Player Props

Move along, there’s a new sheriff in town. The New Orleans Saints reached deep into their wallets in free agency, bringing aboard former Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Carr. In doing so, New Orleans hopes to move past last year’s failures and get back to the NFL postseason. Expectations are higher, especially within the NFC South.

Let’s break down some key 2023 New Orleans Saints stats in our team preview.

New Orleans Saints At A Glance>

Carr Gives Saints a Puncher’s Chance

Hoping to rejuvenate their offense and return to the playoffs in 2023, the New Orleans Saints made a bold move in the offseason, signing former Raiders quarterback Derek Carr to a four-year deal worth a reported $150 million, including $100 million guaranteed.

It’s a major upgrade over Andy Dalton and Jameis Winston, one that presumably returns them atop the NFC South. Plagued by injury and inconsistency, the Saints went 7-10 last season under Dennis Allen and missed the postseason for only the second time since 2016. It continued a steep decline from the days of Drew Brees, when New Orleans was a perennial Super Bowl contender thanks to one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses.

Can the Saints return to that level? At some point, perhaps. But it’ll take time. At the very least, the Saints have given themselves a chance again with Carr. Inferior quarterback play is a death sentence in the NFL. Either you have a quarterback or you don’t, and the Saints couldn’t wait on Winston any longer. Nor could they hand the reins back to a journeyman like Dalton. It’s no wonder expectations have risen in the Big Easy.

Super Bowl Odds: Close, But Not Close Enough

No doubt, Carr gives New Orleans a much better chance. He was a Pro Bowler for the fourth time in 2022 after passing for 3,522 yards and 24 touchdowns on 60.8% completion percentage, per NFL stats. On top of that, the Saints were able to keep their top-5 defense largely intact while adding All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu.

The former LSU star signed a three-year, $33 million deal in May. The Saints still seem like a longshot at +3500 — for comparison’s sake, they were +4000 last preseason — but the improvements are obvious. That should show in the 2023 New Orleans Saints stats.

Conference Odds: Better Luck in the Future

New Orleans’ defense is significantly better, and Carr no longer has to worry about sharing a division with Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert. After Philadelphia, San Francisco and Dallas, the NFC seems to be wide open.

Thus, opportunity awaits for the Saints. That said, there’s still so much they need to improve in order to get back to contending for Super Bowls. The Saints are +1400 to win the NFC, slightly ahead of last year’s preseason odds (+1800). Realistically, they’re probably still at least a year away.

Division Odds: Best of a Lackluster Bunch

With Tampa Bay headed toward a rebuild following Tom Brady’s retirement, the NFC South may challenge the AFC South for the NFL’s worst division. Atlanta is still very much an unknown post-Matt Ryan, and Carolina is starting over with No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young.

That leaves New Orleans. At +120, the Saints are favorites in the NFC South. The Falcons are next in line at +240. It’s a slight jump from this time last season, when the Saints were +320. Based on how the division is shaping up, it shouldn’t take much more than 9.5 wins to finish on top. Expect a boost in 2023 New Orleans Saints stats.

Regular Season Wins: Improvement on the Horizon

The Saints are projected for 9.5 wins, a steady improvement over last year. With the team having one of the league’s softest schedules in 2023, it feels like a realistic target. New Orleans’ opponents had a combined .427 winning percentage last season per NFL records, second-lowest behind Atlanta (.417).

It’s one of the benefits of residing in the NFC South. The Saints are already 3.5-point favorites against Tennessee in Week One, and after that, they’ll get Carolina, Green Bay and Tampa Bay. Each of those NFL teams should struggle to some extent.

To Make Playoffs: It’s Postseason or Bust

After upgrading at quarterback, anything short of a return to the playoffs will be seen as a disappointment. New Orleans hasn’t missed the postseason three straight years since 2014-16.

Side Bets

Carr will have plenty of weapons to get the Saints’ offense back to being dangerous. Chris Olave is a budding star, and Alvin Kamara remains an elite pass-catcher out of the backfield. Also, don’t forget Michael Thomas. If all of them can stay healthy — especially Thomas, who’s played just 10 games since 2019 — Carr should have no trouble airing it out. He’s currently +3000 for NFL Comeback Player of the Year and +6000 for NFL MVP.

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