9:43pm: ESPN’s Katherine Terrell reports the severity of Carr’s injury is unknown at this time. She adds some members of the Saints’ staff were unaware of the ailment until it was reported, further illustration of the confusion and uncertainty surrounding this situation. Clarity with respect to Carr’s 2025 outlook would certainly be welcomed by all parties.
11:44am: Reports of a shoulder injury to Saints quarterback Derek Carr that may require surgery have put his situation in New Orleans back in the spotlight.
Shoulder surgery could force Carr to miss some, if not all, of the 2025 season, effectively forcing the Saints into a long-avoided rebuild. That could push them to using the No. 9 pick on a quarterback after doing their homework on this year’s class.
However, surgery is not a certainty, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, which could keep Carr on the field this fall and a best-player-available approach on the table for the Saints during next week’s draft.
The reports of Carr’s shoulder injury, combined with his comments rejecting the idea of a pay cut in January, paint an odd picture, especially with a new head coach in Kellen Moore. Carr did not attend the start of the Saints’ voluntary offseason workout program, per Matthew Paras of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, though that’s hardly surprising for a player dealing with an injury.
A recent contract restructure committed the Saints to Carr for 2025 and reduced his cap hit to $20.5MM, an affordable number for a starting quarterback who has performed well in black and gold when healthy. However, the prospect of surgery puts his availability for this season in question, and his contract will become prohibitively expensive next year.
Carr currently has a $69.2MM cap hit for the 2026 season, per OverTheCap. The Saints could reduce that number with another maximum restructure, but that would only increase the $40.5MM in dead money that’s already waiting at the end of Carr’s deal in 2027. An extension is out of the question until there’s some certainty with Carr’s shoulder, and even then, New Orleans is clearly looking for a long-term quarterback in the draft.
It’s hard to know, therefore, if there’s any fire behind this smoke, or if Carr’s injury is just that: an injury.
He needs surgery.
Or they throw him out for another terrible season, while pushing more contracts forward; staying a permanent mediocrity.
Should have released Carr before the March guarantee deadline (added $30 million to the pot). Apparently there’s some savings in the last extension, I would hope so. The situation doesn’t look good. It appears Carr will leave the NFL without achieving his full potential.
Carr is an unlucky victim of coaches, circumstance and Goodell’s vendetta against Jon Gruden.
He has a few years left in the tank I think.
If he has to under shoulder surgery, Carr probably loses one of those years. That would put him in a position where he would have to make a Joe Flacco like comeback at age 35. Not impossible but certainly far from a sure thing.
I’m convinced that Mickey Samuel Billy Loomis has comprising pictures of Benson. He should have been fired 5 years ago. 12 years 0 playoff wins for Carr.
With their perrneial cap issues, drafting a QB would seem like a sensible way to get their financials back in order. Either that or trade the top pick and get younger in more positions…they need to do something different.
Why is this just coming out? And why the hell do the Saints not have an answer yet? Either he needs surgery or he doesn’t. Why the hell didn’t he have surgery 3 months ago? He would have been recovering and possibly able to play at the start of this season, but now he has to wait for surgery and they are going to draft he replacement.
Smh. Well at least after his surgery he can go to Indy for a year and finish out his career.
It feels like mis-direction by the Saints. They want a QB at #9, and don’t want anyone cutting the line.
Possibly, but the whole “we don’t have an answer” part definitely feels like it is.
I say just trot Rattler out there, flip him for an extra pick next year possibly, and use this as an eval year for other players while farming picks, but that’s just me. They’re not doing whatever QB starts any favors, though. This isn’t, say, Pittsburgh, where you could make a good case for being close to being competitive. Kamara is the only enviable weapon on offense, and he’s closer to the end of his career than the start. Ramzcyck is retired. Olave may have to. They have an exciting playcaller to change things up, but there’s not much to offer a starter other than a limited skill group on offense and aging defense.
Well Kirk Cousins is available